Unbreakable Bonds
by Zetharin
Summary: Ranger's non-relationship with Steph has recently progressed to something more like a relationship but remains undefined. Things being undefined still leaves him room to apply pressure to get her to consider the type of relationship that a good girl from the burg might never accept. Ranger/Steph/MM pairing. Eventual M rating and adult themes. -NOW COMPLETE-
1. Chapter 1

I usually write original fiction and not much of that lately. No inspiration but I've spent the week in bed with the flu catching up on the Stephanie Plum series. I was four books behind! When those were done, I started in on re-reading fan fiction that I remembered from last time I was on a Stephanie Plum kick and then I discovered some new and interesting fan fiction authors. This idea started nagging at me and wouldn't let me alone.

This is just the lead up, very tame. Ultimately, this story is headed towards a M/M/F relationship with Ranger, Stephanie, and a Merry Man and a mature rating but it's not there yet. I'm open to suggestions about which Merry Man should be the second man.

Standard disclaimer: The characters and world are not mine. I'm playing in Janet Evanovich's world, with her character's and not making any money.

**Chapter 1**

They were sitting in the explorer, watching a skip's mistresses house after a tip that the skip had been continuing his regular visits even after missing his court date. It was boring but both men were quiet. One was alert and vigilant in his zone, a predator waiting for his prey and he could wait all afternoon with the same focused attention if necessary. The explorer was a cushy place to wait. He could have been just as patient and a lot less comfortable lying in the grass or underbrush somewhere.

The other man was vigilant and just as quiet but on that day, he couldn't find his zone. Every time he sank towards that timeless place, his alertness waned and he snapped himself back into focus. It was more difficult than usual. His reason for sleep deprivation this time was well worth the difficulty but knowing it was for a good cause didn't lessen the impact on him. He needed a full night's sleep soon and he didn't want to make the sacrifice necessary to achieve it.

Finally, one man broke the silence between them. "When was the last time you slept?"

"Last night."

"Bullshit. You haven't looked well rested in the last two weeks."

"I sleep lightly for short periods. I wake up every time a spider sneezes. I hear every faint sound and wake up reaching for a weapon." His muscles tensed just thinking about it and he forced them to relax again.

"Nightmares again?" he asked, voice a little gruff with sympathy. Both men kept their eyes firmly focused on their surroundings. Some conversations were easier to have without looking at each other.

"No." His tone closed down that line of questioning. He resented being questioned at all but the person questioning him was one of the few who deserved answers. Their lives sometimes depended on their alertness.

"When was the last time you had good sleep then?"

"I caught a nap yesterday afternoon on seven."

"And before that?"

"Couple of days." He'd gone longer without sleep. "Been staying at Steph's apartment."

"Shit man. That's not safe."

Ranger's sleep deprived mind couldn't be sure whether his partner meant that it wasn't safe to sleep at Stephanie's apartment or that it wasn't safe to consistently attempt to function on so little sleep. They were trained to do it but sometimes delayed reflexes could mean death and going without sleep when it wasn't necessary was foolish, a rookie mistake. He had broken in to Stephanie's many times to watch her sleep before this. Even spent a few nights sleeping in her apartment over the years but one night of battlefield alert sleep surrounded by nights of good rest wasn't a big deal. Weeks of that kind of sleep was essentially an experiment in extended sleep deprivation and he knew it wasn't his best idea. Ranger stayed silent.

His friend continued to push. "Why isn't she staying at Haywood with you instead of you attempting to sleep in that death trap apartment?"

"Do you think I haven't tried to convince her?" He stopped, took a deep breath, and counted to ten. Lack of sleep was fraying his control and making him susceptible to his emotions. When he was sure he would not meet his partner's concert with undeserved defensive anger, he tried again in a calmer voice. "She's not comfortable with everyone in the control room or with access to the logs knowing where she's been and what she's been doing."

They were silent for a few moments, both trying to find a way around the curly haired brunette's stubbornness. Ranger broke the silence this time. "There he is."

They slipped out of the explorer, closing the doors softly in the exact same instant. They stalked their prey with the ease of long practice, fanning out so the larger man could cut off any attempt at retreat, their boots silent on the pavement. The skip was focused on his mistress's house and the fun he intended to have. He didn't notice them approaching until they were beside him.

"Bond enforcement," one informed the skip quietly. The skip reached for his gun but he wasn't anywhere near fast enough. He took a fist to the chin and dropped like a stone. Ranger used his foot to roll the skip over and cuffed his hands behind his back. The rough handling woke the skip. Then they each took one of the skip's arms and led him to the explorer where they shackled him in place for the ride.

The trip to the police station was silent. They wouldn't air their business in front of a stranger or give the skip ammunition to use against them. After they dropped him off and collected the body receipt, they headed back to Haywood. They maintained their silence until they were parked in the garage.

"I'll do the report. You go on up and get a few hours sleep."

Ranger met his partner's knowing eyes for a moment and nodded. Everything that only he could do could wait a few hours.

"Tonight you need to tell her what's been going on with you. You can't keep doing this. You stay here, with or without her, or I'll come guard the apartment. Either way, she needs to understand. She deserves to know the truth about what you sleeping there is doing to you."

Ranger knew that tone. He was the boss now on paper but there wouldn't be any way to convince his friend to let him continue to risk himself this way. That's what partner's did, stood beside you, behind you, or if necessary, in front of you. Their eyes held in a silent battle of wills but eventually, Ranger nodded his agreement and trudged up the stairs for his nap.


	2. Chapter 2

Wow. I'm amazed at the sheer number of reviews in so little time. Clearly, since reviews fuel the writing, I should have been writing fan fiction all along. I'm sorry to keep you all in suspense. I actually have the next two chapters after this one written but they're in first draft form. As bad as the last chapter was without a beta (we're never our own best editor, are we?), they would be worse if I didn't spend some time working on the editing. Writing is fast but I drag my feet on the editing. You can probably expect a chapter 2-3 times a week.

Standard disclaimer: The characters and world are not mine. I'm playing in Janet Evanovich's world, with her character's and not making any money.

This chapter is Stephanie's POV.

**Chapter**** 2**

I fumbled trying to juggle my purse, bag from Victoria's Secret, and get my door unlocked. I swear, some of the Merry Men could unlock my door with lock picks and their magic hands faster than I could get it open with my key.

I dropped the shopping bag and purse on my bed before fishing out my phone to send Ranger a text message. _Are __you __bringing __dinner __tonight __or __should __I __order __delivery__?_ There wasn't an immediate response so he must have been busy with a take down. I had been taking up a lot of his time lately and something wasn't right.

Something had been nagging at me since he started sleeping here every night after sex. Joe rarely spent the night, even if we were on again. We were most definitely off again now, hopefully permanently this time. I would rather have whatever scraps Ranger was willing to give to me than have Joe trying to shove me into his mold of who to be. Something was wrong with Ranger though. I wondered if there was a big job that was giving him trouble or if he was about to go back in the wind or if he was rethinking us. I was beginning to suspect that seeing me in any capacity was bad for him.

A few nights ago, we had ordered pizza. While we were waiting, I had snuggled in beside Ranger on the couch, both of us watching a movie and he dozed off. For me to take an impromptu nap wasn't unusual but for Batman, it was weird. Then when the pizza boy had knocked on the door, Ranger jumped up, nearly knocking me to the floor, and drew his gun. I'm not sure he was even completely awake. It took a few second's after he was standing before he approached the door to assess the threat presented by the knock. None, of course. Stalkers and bad guys just let themselves it. They don't knock.

Last night, he totally disassembled the hamster wheel at midnight and greased it until it twirled silently. When I asked him why, he said, "Babe. It's loud." But the hamster wheel was never really loud, you could barely hear it from the bedroom.

This morning, his alarm had gone off and even as I groggily opened my eyes to say good bye, he turned it off and lay still for a few minutes longer, as if gathering the strength or willpower to get up. I did that a lot. In him, it worried me.

After a few more minutes of no return text message, I got in the shower. I hadn't done any rolling in garbage today and my current POS car was still mostly in one piece, except the passenger side mirror now sitting in the passenger seat but I never really used that one anyway. I washed with Ranger's shower gel, shaved everything that needed shaved, dried off, and used lotion.

As I was getting dressed in the shorts and tank top from Victoria Secret that covered everything essential and still managed to leave absolutely nothing to imagination, my phone beeped, signaling an incoming text.

_You __could __come __over __here__. __Ella __will __cook__._ Something definitely was wrong. He had been coming here every night, sometimes picking up food, sometimes ordering it in, sometimes bringing Ella's meals with him. Ranger's sheets and Ella's food were a tempting combination but everyone would know where I had been and what I had been doing if I slept there. I just couldn't. And there would be questions. Someone would notice if my car wasn't here at night and they'd tell someone else and it would get back to my mother. I'd never here the end of it. Maybe he was getting tired of me.

_You __don__'__t __have __to __come__._ I assured him by text, giving him an out. I didn't know exactly what this was between us but I didn't want him to think I was needy or clingy or that he was obligated to be here. I pulled a pair of lounge pants over the shorts, just in case we were going to fight tonight.

_Babe__. _ That meant even less in a text message. At least with facial expressions, tone of voice, and body language to go on I could have had a chance of guessing what he meant. Suddenly, I wasn't hungry at all. What was I going to do if he didn't want to be with me anymore? The last few weeks had been the best of my life.

I picked out a movie and settled in to wait and see what Batman would do. I was maybe a third of the way in when I heard the locks tumble. A rush of happiness and warmth went from my heart straight to my doodah. Ranger was here! I could smell Pino's meatball sub as he opened the door. I threw myself into his arms, not even letting him put the Pino's bag down before claiming a hug. He looked better rested than he had when he left this morning but still looked tired.

Ranger reached behind him to lock the door and settled on the couch. I grabbed a soda for me and a bottled water for him from the refrigerator. I ate my meatball sub. He picked at his salad, eating mostly the grilled chicken from the top and only a little bit of the green stuff. He wasn't watching the movie or even really cuddling with me. He was just sitting there with his head tilted back, eyes closed. Whatever he had wanted me to come to Haywood to tell me must be bad. He never got like this, even when there were crazies after me.

I knew before we started this thing, whatever it is, that he didn't do relationships. I thought I was okay with that but seeing him sitting there, using my sleep avoidance technique to avoid talking, I was terrified that the fragile thing between us would break. He was tired of me. The novelty had worn off. And I knew suddenly that I wouldn't be able to let him go easily. Tears filled my eyes and I bolted for the bathroom.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him stand, hand near his gun. "Babe?" he asked. I just closed the bathroom door and turned the practically useless lock. "What's wrong?" he pushed, sounding like he stood just outside the door. None of them were very good at dealing with my tears. They shouldn't have to deal with my emotional crap. No wonder he was sick of me already.

I ran some cold water on a washcloth, lay it over my eyes, and tried to get my tears under control. I heard the lock click and the door open. I felt his presence standing near me. He tugged the washcloth away from me gently.

"Stephanie." Uh-oh. My full name never meant anything good. "I can't help if you don't tell me what's wrong."

"You don't want to be here. Just go." I tried to keep my voice even but failed. This goodbye would tear me apart. It had always been so easy with Joe but my feelings for Ranger were much different.

Ranger used a finger under my chin to force me to meet his eyes. I wished that my esp would work, just once and I could see what was on his mind. "Babe. I don't know where you get this stuff. That's not true at all. If I didn't want to be here, I'd be asleep already at Haywood."

"Then what's going on? Please just talk to me," I pleaded, my eyes filling with tears.

"Alright Babe." He led me back out to the couch, paused the movie, and settled us down with my head tucked in the special spot on his shoulder and his arms around me. It didn't feel like goodbye at all. It felt like he never wanted to let me go.

His phone buzzed and he fished it from a cargo pocked to look at it before setting it on the coffee table.

"Talk Batman," I demanded but before he could answer, the locks on my door tumbled. After days of jumping and overreacting to any noise, he just tightened his arms around me. The text must have been one of the Merry Men saying he was on his way up.


	3. Chapter 3

Standard disclaimer: The characters and world are not mine. I'm playing in Janet Evanovich's world, with her character's and not making any money.

Still Stephanie POV

* * *

_..."__Talk __Batman__," __I __demanded __but __before __he __could __answer__, __the __locks __on __my __door __tumbled__. __After __days __of __jumping __and __overreacting __to __any __noise__, __he __just __tightened __his __arms __around __me__. __The __text __must __have __been __one __of __the __Merry __Men __saying __he __was __on __his __way __up__._

He came in and locked the door behind him, standing and looking down at us for a moment with serious eyes. "Are we headed back to Haywood or are we staying here tonight?"

"Staying here," I responded instantly. Then I processed exactly what he had said and frowned. "We? That better be the royal we."

"Nope. You want Ranger here so now you've got me too. It will be fun, promise."

My first mental image was of seeing those two hard bodies pressed together, touching each other. Sexy as hell. And I'm positive the rush of moisture ruined the tiny shorts I was wearing as went on to picture a Stephanie sandwich made by those two men. Wait, part of me asserted, I'm supposed to love Ranger and not want anyone else. Then I considered that it would probably involve butt stuff. And the proper burg housewife I was supposed to grow up to be whispered, 'what would your mother say?' Only that last thought was enough to cool down my hormones and even as they cooled off, a rebellious piece whispered, 'Do you really want to be that?'

"This isn't some sort of kinky sex thing is it?" I asked out loud suspiciously.

"Babe." I looked up at Ranger and wondered how much of those thoughts he had caught. From his wolf grin, if his esp had caught any of that, it didn't bother him. He had mentioned before that he was sick and had done things that would shock me. I wondered about that. I didn't know if I was brave enough to actually ask.

"Not tonight bombshell. Bossman is exhausted and I have a headache from all of the paperwork this afternoon." I had forgotten all about him but now I studied his face, trying to decide if he was serious or just teasing me. His blank face didn't give me any clues as he met my eyes for a moment but when he studied Ranger I saw a flicker of concern, and maybe a bit of the same look Ranger gave me. It was gone before I could be sure, tucked away behind the mask, but I suspected it was love, even if it wasn't the kind that came with a ring.

"Did you guys talk at all?" he asked. Ranger met his eyes and gave a slight fraction of a head shake.

"She thinks I don't want to be here," Ranger told him. "I assured her that if I didn't want to be with her, I wouldn't be here."

"He wouldn't be here Steph if you weren't here," the other man assured me. "This place has locks a kindergartener could pick, no guards, not even an alarm system."

"Is there a stalker or crazy I don't know about?"

"There are always stalkers and crazies Steph. Yours are at least local amateurs who have a personal thing going and want to play with you a bit before killing you so they give you plenty of warning. Ranger's are more likely to be professional and just might sneak in to kill him."

"Why didn't you say something?" I asked Ranger.

"I was fine. Am fine. I can take care of us. Don't need the guards and the alarms."

"And that's why you're not getting any sleep, right? Because you're busy staying alert enough to guard both of you all damn night long and can't relax for a moment."

"You don't trust me?" I asked Ranger.

"Babe. You sleep like the dead. You wouldn't hear a threat approach. You've slept through nighttime visits before, people coming close enough to kill you. It's adorable, that you're so trusting and able to relax but I can't."

"He's got to let himself sleep deeply sometime, Bombshell. It's not personal. He trusts you. He just needs to make sure you're safe and he can't sleep here and do that so he doesn't sleep well."

"He sleeps," I protested. "The third or fourth night he stayed here, I got up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night and was crawling back into bed before he woke up."

"And I bet he hasn't had a solid night sleep since then. You're putting him at risk. You're putting me at risk."

"You?"

"If he doesn't sleep at night, his body will try to catch sleep at other times. His reflexes slow down. His thoughts can't be as sharp. A body needs sleep. And we need to be at the top of our game or we get dead. I count on him to have my back. He can't do that well when he's napping."

I looked up at Ranger's face, hoping to see whether it was really that bad. Was I really putting people at risk by insisting we stay here? His eyes were closed, his breathing even. I turned back to the other man, raising both eyebrows, "So how is he sleeping now then."

"I'm here and awake. It's safe to sleep."

"Are you going to stay then?" I asked him.

"Wherever, whenever, however you two need me. I'll grab myself a bottle of water and we'll watch your movie. You don't look ready to sleep yet."

"Ranger can sleep like that? My couch is pretty uncomfortable."

"Trust me, he's slept in worse places."

"There's advil in the bathroom medicine cabinet if you need some."

"I already took something. Just need to wait for it to work."

He cleared the remainder of dinner off of the coffee table and tossed a piece of something from Ranger's salad into Rex's cage. I could see from the couch that Rex was running full speed but couldn't hear even the faint quiet sounds the wheel used to make. I kinda missed the background noise when I was alone in my apartment but it was nice to be able to watch a movie without that as background sound.

When he finished up his cleaning, he helped himself to a caffeinated soda instead of bottled water. When he came into the living room, I couldn't figure out where he was going to sit. The couch was really the only easy place to see the TV from and we pretty much had it filled up. Ranger had his head on the couch arm, with his back propped at a reclining angle by pillows and his legs stretched out across the couch, nearly to the end. I was halfway on top of him with my side wedged between him and the couch back and one of my legs bent and laying across his thighs.

He came straight to the couch and lifted up our legs, sliding underneath them and letting them rest on his lap. Ranger grumbled slightly but didn't protest and seemed to fall right back into a deeper sleep with no trouble.

"Do you have sleep issues like this?" I asked. I realized as I said it that he probably wouldn't tell me. These guys valued their privacy. Even Ranger hadn't mentioned it as a problem until he couldn't function anymore.

"Most men who see active duty learn it to some extent. Waking up quickly and ready to fight can save your life in the field. In some cases it's safer to deal with the sleep deprivation than the dangers of sleeping. Sleeping is one of the most dangerous things you can do. When you come back, part of acclimatizing to civilian life is learning not to wake up ready to kill. Blunting your reflexes to some degree. The same things that save you in the field can be dangerous to your friends and family here. Most can go back. Some can't. Those of us who still might get sent out on an occasional mission though, we can't afford to even try to shift back to normal yet. We still need the skills. Me and the rest of the core team, pretty much everyone with an apartment in the building still go in the wind occasionally or has kept the edge for other reasons. That's why we all live in a fortress together. So we can sleep well."

That was more personal sharing and more talking in general than I had ever heard from one of the Merry Men. He reached out for the remote control and pressed the play button for the movie. Apparently he had used up all of his words. We watched the movie and he seemed to be paying attention to it but he ran his hands up Ranger's legs and my leg on top of his from foot to knee over and over, like petting a dog. He probably had no idea what those little touches were doing to me.

By the time the movie was over, it was nearly ten. He extracted himself from under our legs and helped me climb off of the couch over Ranger, holding me against him for a moment to steady me when I almost fell off of the couch. He smelled good. Not like Bulgari and Ranger but his own scent, and like cookies. I wondered what shower gel he used and if this was a Merry Man who maybe liked sweets as much as I did.

All of the movement must have woken Ranger. He was studying us. No groggy wake up time for him. "Bedtime?" he asked.

"Yeah," I agreed.

We took turns in the bathroom. Ranger put on a pair of boxers he had left here and I stripped off the lounge pants and slid under the covers with Ranger while his guard for the night used the bathroom. He came out and positioned the chair in the corner closer to the bed so he could prop his feet up on it.

"You're not going to sleep on the couch?" I asked.

"I'm not really going to catch much sleep at all. This will be fine."

The way I slept with Ranger, practically plastering myself to him, there was room for another person on the bed. A little flicker of a smile on his face made me suspect I had spoken that thought out loud.

He and Ranger locked eyes for a moment and Ranger gave a tiny nod and shifted so instead of the middle of the bed, we were more to one side. At my back, there was enough room for someone to lay down. He lay on top of the covers, his chest against my back and his arm thrown over me and Ranger, snuggled in except for his hips, which he kept well back from mine. It was strange to be between two men like that but it also felt really safe. I could feel him, still a tense and alert at my back as I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**A****/****N**** - ****the ****next ****chapter ****to ****edit ****is ****from ****Ranger****'****s ****point ****of ****view ****from ****leaving ****Haywood ****to ****waking ****up ****the ****next ****morning****. ****It ****is ****when ****he ****decides****, ****based ****on ****Stephanie****'****s **** '****kinky ****sex ****thing****' ****comment ****and ****easier ****than ****expected ****acceptance ****of ****having ****someone ****with ****them****, ****to ****try ****for ****a ****three ****person**** relationship****. ****It ****is ****also ****where ****the ****Merry**** Man****'****s ****identity ****is ****revealed****. ****Keeping ****it ****a ****secret ****has ****been ****a ****fun ****challenge****. **

**Probably ****you ****can ****expect ****that chapter ****on ****Monday ****or ****Tuesday****. **


	4. Chapter 4

_Standard disclaimer: The characters and world are not mine. I'm playing in Janet Evanovich's world, with her character's and not making any money._

* * *

**(At the Haywood office, that afternoon)**

Ranger allowed himself a 45 minute nap. He wasn't surprised to wake up and see Stephanie's text about whether he would bring dinner or wanted her to order in. They had been starting to set a routine. The brief exchange of texts showed him she was feeling fragile and wouldn't be happy about a change. He decided that it would be better to talk about it in person and then resolutely put it out of his mind until 1730 when it would be time to go over there.

He had some work in his office for a bit. Even with his partner handling the take down paperwork, there were things only he could do. He talked to several potential clients and set up times to walk through their buildings as well taking some time to sign off on some reports and talk to the Rangeman attorney.

When Ranger emerged from his office, he found Lester spinning on a desk chair, Bobby leaning against the wall, and Tank facing him with his arms crossed. Other than them and the two men on monitor duty, the floor was empty. Seeing the boss be ganged up on wouldn't be good for his image so he was grateful for small favors. His temper, never far beneath the surface discipline and less controlled than usual due to lack of sleep, started to boil.

Ranger stepped through his doorway, closed the door behind him, and stood in front of it. That position that would keep one of them from slipping behind him. Bobby might try to drug him for his own good and he had to get to his Babe. Not going could break the fragile thing they were building and he wanted to keep from screwing them up this time.

"Something you wanted to discuss gentleman?" he asked, keeping his blank mask in place and forcing his tone to remain disinterested. It wasn't time to fight yet.

"You and Beautiful finally official, Cos?" Lester asked. Ranger shrugged. Lester continued, "We all thought you two finally getting together would be good. No more of your mood swings when she's on again with Morelli. Bombshell around here more often. That doesn't seem to be the case so you must still be dancing around each other. Maybe she'd like some other options."

"Santos," Ranger warned, voice low and dangerous.

"You need two full nights sleep before you do any more field work. Go offline. We'll handle things," Bobby told him. Ranger wanted to protest but maybe a day out of the field would do him good. Bobby wouldn't change his mind and trying to bully the man who would put him back together next time he was injured would be idiotic. No one smart tried to push around a medic. It would be better to make the best of it, starting with going to see his Babe tonight.

She'd want comfort food for this conversation. He pulled out his cell phone and called in a to go order at Pino's. Meatball sub for her. Grilled chicken salad for himself. Pizza for Tank. The core team just waited, patiently.

When he ended the call, Tank had his say, "I'm driving." Ranger didn't protest. There wouldn't be much point. He knew how to pick his battles.

Tank let Ranger sit in the explorer while he went in to pick up the order Ranger had called in. When they got to Stephanie's apartment building with the food, there was another battle of wills. Ranger wanted to go up alone, to have some time to figure out why Stephanie had seemed upset in her text message and explain why they had a guardian tonight. She didn't take bodyguards well when he assigned them to her and explaining that it was more for him wasn't something he was looking forward to doing. Tank wasn't was only willing to wait so long before coming up.

Tank thought she would most likely want to go back to Haywood to avoid having him intrude on her evening with Ranger. Ranger thought she was likely to want to stay at the apartment tonight. He hoped they could negotiate for nights at Haywood a few times a week later but he liked the idea of getting to spend time with both Tank and Stephanie when they were not working. Staying at her apartment would give him an excuse to be with both of them.

Ranger went up alone and when Stephanie threw herself at him as soon as he entered, he knew he had made the right choice. Who needs sleep anyway? He would rather sleep just a little with her in his arms than than sleep in his bed and wake up wishing she were there. They both ate and Ranger leaned his head against the back of the couch and let himself start to drift off rather than watch the movie.

When his Babe moved though and headed for the bathroom, it startled him awake. He followed her and stood outside of the bathroom door. Trying to figure out why she had locked him out so she could cry. Finally he pulled out a single lock pick and popped the lock. He took the washcloth she was using to cover her eyes and try to keep them from getting puffy.

"Stephanie. I can't help if you don't tell me what's wrong."

"You don't want to be here. Just go."

Ranger used a finger under her chin to force her to meet his eyes, frustrated that he couldn't communicate as easily with her as with his men. "Babe. I don't know where you get this stuff. That's not true at all. If I didn't want to be here, I'd be asleep already at Haywood."

"Then what's going on? Please just talk to me," Stephanie pleaded, her eyes filling again with tears.

"Alright Babe." Ranger led her back to the couch and sprawled across it, tucking her tight to his side. He just needed to hold her for a minute. It was an embarrassing problem to discuss and he didn't want her to run from him again. His phone buzzed and he fished it from a cargo pocket to see the text warning of Tank's approach before setting it on the coffee table.

"Talk Batman," Stephanie demanded but before he could answer, they both heard Tank's arrival.

Tank came in and locked the door behind him, including the chain that Ranger had left loose to make things easier on him. He looked down at them for a moment. "Are we headed back to Haywood or are we staying here tonight?"

"Staying here," Stephanie responded instantly. Then she frowned. "We? That better be the royal we."

"Nope. You want Ranger here so now you've got me too. It will be fun, promise," Tank told her. Ranger was pleased to see him relaxing out of work mode and being more casual with Stephanie. Too bad he was too tired to try any of the things that came to mind at that innuendo. From the sudden tenseness of Stephanie's muscles and the flush in her cheeks, Stephanie must have had some of the same thoughts. That was a welcome surprise.

"This isn't some sort of kinky sex thing is it?" She asked, sounding suspicious and nervous but not entirely opposed. Good.

"Babe."

"Not tonight bombshell. Bossman is exhausted and I have a headache from all of the paperwork this afternoon." Tank seemed to pull himself away from that line of imagining as well. "Did you guys talk at all?"

Ranger met his eyes and gave a slight fraction of a head shake. "She thinks I don't want to be here," Ranger explained for Tank's benefit. "I assured her that if I didn't want to be with her, I wouldn't be here."

"He wouldn't be here Steph if you weren't here," Tank assured her.. "This place has locks a kindergartener could pick, no guards, not even an alarm system."

"Is there a stalker or crazy I don't know about?"

Ranger tried to find a way to reassure her bet Tank spoke first, his voice deadly serious. "There are always stalkers and crazies Steph. Yours are at least local amateurs who have a personal thing going and want to play with you a bit before killing you so they give you plenty of warning. Ranger's are more likely to be professional and just might sneak in to kill him."

"Why didn't you say something?" Stephanie asked Ranger.

"I was fine. Am fine. I can take care of us. Don't need the guards and the alarms." Ranger didn't want her to doubt his ability to protect them. He was doing fine until Tank butted in. He didn't need that much sleep anyway.

Tank continued to challenge him. "And that's why you're not getting any sleep, right? Because you're busy staying alert enough to guard both of you all damn night long and can't relax for a moment."

"You don't trust me?" Stephanie asked Ranger, sounding hurt.

"Babe. You sleep like the dead. You wouldn't hear a threat approach. You've slept through nighttime visits before, people coming close enough to kill you. It's adorable, that you're so trusting and able to relax but I can't."

"He's got to let himself sleep deeply sometime, Bombshell. It's not personal. He trusts you. He just needs to make sure you're safe and he can't sleep here and do that so he doesn't sleep well."

Ranger closed his eyes. He was so tired and Tank would explain things to his babe. It was just another way that his partner had his back. It was easier to explain for someone else and Tank's previous bad experiences in relationships, even with Lula, had taught him to explain up front before someone got hurt.

Ranger started to come awake when he felt his legs lifted but realized it was just Tank settling on the couch with them and let their touch soothe him right back into sleep. He woke up more fully when Stephanie's foot got caught under him as she attempted to get up. He opened his eyes to see Tank holding her close. She looked so tiny against his massive chest. Tank noticed he was awake before Stephanie did and his eyes asked the question, 'This okay?' Ranger moved his head in a fraction of a nod and let himself smile a little. Tank wouldn't poach if it wasn't okay with him but it was more than okay with him if Stephanie would allow it.

They headed into the bedroom, taking turns in the bathroom. As Tank positioned the chair closer to the bed so he could prop his feet up for the night, Stephanie asked, "You're not going to sleep on the couch?"

"I'm not really going to catch much sleep at all. This will be fine," Tank told her.

"Room for another person on the bed," Stephanie mumbled, so softly that the men barely heard her. Ranger and Tank shared another long look. Yes. That would be just fine. Stephanie fell asleep very quickly between them. Then Ranger let himself sleep, feeling from the tenseness of the arm draped across Stephanie and onto his chest that Tank was there and on guard.

Ranger woke up on his own this time, feeling well rested for the first time in weeks. His babe was still sleeping, half draped across him with Tank awake spooning against her. She definitely couldn't have moved with Tank pressed to her back. Seeing them, even with Tank on top of the covers and not really tucked in with them made his body instantly go hard. Tank looked amused. He didn't miss much, even without sleep.

"That way is it?" Tank asked. "You think the little girl will agree to that?"

"Can't hurt to try," Ranger replied.

"I'm with you on this but I don't want to fight with you or cause her to fight with you about it. You belong together, even without me."

"We'll see," Ranger said. "Just give her a chance to see you as maybe more than just a work partner. Stay with her for a bit. I need a run." He got out of the bed, dressed efficiently, and gave the two people he cared about most kisses on the foreheads before using all of his self discipline to get him out of the room and on his run. He needed time to plan and he thought best while in motion.

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_**A/N - I'm really loving all of the reviews. Chapter 5 is written and expect me to have it edited and posted by Wednesday or Thursday afternoon.**_


	5. Chapter 5

_Standard disclaimer: The characters and world are not mine. I'm playing in Janet Evanovich's world, with her character's and not making any money._

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(Stephanie POV)

I woke up laying on the opposite side I went to sleep on. I wouldn't have believed I could move at all with the three of us crammed on my little bed. My head was on his shoulder, his arm around my back, my arm across his chest and my leg across his very upper thighs. I was warm and comfortable. I couldn't figure out what had woken me and I started to drift back to sleep without even opening my eyes. Then it registered. I was laying on my opposite side and sleeping practically on top of a man. Unless they had switched sides while I was sleeping, that meant I was laying on Tank. I opened my eyes a tiny crack and saw that his eyes were closed.

They couldn't hold me responsible for cuddling in my sleep, could they? I didn't want to move but I knew I needed too. Bad enough that I had slept with them both. There was that one time in college but I had been really drunk then. Now I didn't have that excuse. They didn't need to know I was enough of a slut that the hard leg I was pressed against combined with the scent of cookies and Tank was making my hormones jump for joy.

The arm that was holding me was relaxed. Maybe he was actually sleeping. I tried to ease away from Tank but the second I moved, his arm tightened around me.

"It's still early Bombshell. Sleep a little longer. Ranger went out for a run." His voice rumbled from somewhere deep in his chest. I could feel the vibrations under my ear. I liked it a little too much. I opened my eyes.

Tank had been laying on top of the covers when we went to sleep. Now The covers were thrown back across him and I was on top in my tiny sleep shorts, one leg just below a tent in the covers. I jerked back so I was more beside him than on top of him. I would have fled the bed completely but his arm kept me pinned to his side. I wanted the sheet and blanket back on top of me but it looked like he needed them too. I could feel my face flush red.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, daring a glance up at his face.

He was grinning. "I'm not," he told me. He definitely didn't look sorry or even worried that Ranger would find me draped over him and flip out.

"It's almost 0630," he continued me, his voice still soft, as if trying not to spook me. "Maybe Ranger went to the grocery store after his run. Think he'll make us breakfast when he gets back?"

This was a lot different than the mostly silent Tank I had seen working with Rangeman. His face was more expressive and he seemed relaxed, tired but happy. I wondered what this version of Tank would be willing to spill.

"Do you get him to cook for you often?" I asked.

"He makes good omelets," Tank told me. "You'd never notice that they're good for you. And if you're still here with me when he gets back, I bet you can get him to bring you breakfast in bed."

I thought about that for a second. It was very tempting. Staying cuddled up with Tank wasn't a hardship. He wouldn't hurt me. Tank seemed sure that Ranger wouldn't mind finding his woman cuddled up with his best friend. I wondered about that. Those guys in college had... No. I stopped that train of thought. Besides, if Tank and Ranger were together that way, someone would know. Not going there. It wouldn't help my hormone problem. I needed to get out of this bed.

Tank must have felt me getting ready to escape because he started to pet my back soothingly. "You're okay Steph. Don't think so much. It's too early for that. You're safe here with me. Sleep a little longer."

He seemed so sure that I couldn't doubt him. I rolled to my other side, keeping my head pillowed on his arm. He gave me the covers back and curled around my back with his arm over my waist, keeping me pressed against him. I drifted back to sleep.

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**A/N - Sorry this one was short. I figured a little was better than none. Editing is slow and "Frost Burned" came out Tuesday and distracted me for a couple of days from the Evanovich universe. More tomorrow. :-) Do you like the omniscient point of view or Steph's point of view better?**


	6. Chapter 6

_A warning (again) because I've gotten a couple of PMs. This story involves the formation of a M/M/F relationship with Ranger, Stephanie, and Tank. Closed triad, not an open relationship, but there will be mentions in flashbacks of less committed things. If you are uncomfortable with the concept, this might not be a good story for you to read._

_This chapter mentions M/M and M/M/F sexual contact and relationships but doesn't go into much detail. Future chapters will be more explicit. When I post the chapter after this one, I'm going to bump the rating up to M. No lemons at that point but there might be some sprinklings of lime and probably more citrus goodness as the story progresses._

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_**Standard disclaimer: The characters and world are not mine. I'm playing in Janet Evanovich's world, with her character's and not making any money.**_

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Ranger ran, not at his best pace but steadily, at a pace he could keep up easily for miles if necessary. The running was automatic and the rhythm of his shoes striking the pavement was soothing. His thoughts were partially on his surroundings and partially on the past.

He'd told Stephanie once that he'd done everything. That wasn't entirely accurate. There were things he didn't enjoy and a few he wouldn't even try but until he met her he had definitely been an opportunist sexually. Whoever was available. Whatever seemed fun at the time, especially when the rush of coming back alive from a mission was riding him hard. Some men got drunk. Some picked up women or men in bars. Some got in fights. Everyone had their own way to cope.

_He remembered his first time with Tank. Before then, he would have bet large amounts of money that Tank was purely straight. Adrenalin and alcohol were a combination that could lower anyone's inhibitions. They were finished except for the trip back to the States, and debrief period. One drink became several and Tank had gotten in a fight in a place that if the authorities had come, extracting him from the local jail would have been sticky at best. Ranger got him out of the fight, out of the area, away from the rest of the team so the team wouldn't be implicated._

_Tank had turned that desire to fight on Ranger. Ranger, who usually preferred fucking to fighting for his stress relief and wasn't picky about the sex of his partners, had turned the fight into something else. They were both beat up but relaxed when they boarded the transport back to the US. They didn't talk about that night. Ranger wasn't even sure how much Tank remembered but the rough, alcohol and adrenalin laced sex had become their stress relief on more than one occasion after that._

_Then one night, when they were stateside and Rachel had broken the news that she was getting remarried and wanted her new husband to adopt Julie, things had started off similar, with Tank dragging Ranger away from the bar that night before he could get in a fight or pick up a girl. They ended up sleeping together instead of just fucking and parting ways. Tank had taken care of him. The partnership had deepened. Neither one of them had a life that would be easy on a relationship. They both still picked up women in bars. For things other than sex though, love, trust, commitment, they mostly had each other. They were closed off from the world._

_Carrie had changed that. Tank was a little in love with her and she seemed to fit well with them and understand how close the men were. Ranger was willing to accept his partner's choice to spend more time with this woman. At first she was just in it for the fun, happy to be shared sexually by the partners, but along the way, she fell in love with Ranger. He didn't return the feeling. She wanted a ring and an exclusive relationship and forced him to choose. And for him, it wasn't even a hard choice. He would never choose her over Tank. The arguments had been terrible, worse than Ranger's divorce from Rachel, and the aftershocks were still rippling through his relationship with Tank when they had moved to Trenton._

Ranger's run had reached the half-way point. He paused, checked his time, and stretched a little bit. Then he turned back around the way he had come and resumed his steady pace back towards Stephanie's building.

When he had met the curly haired woman who said she wanted to learn to be a bounty hunter, he wasn't sure what to think. As he helped her, he came to admire her and then fell head over heels in love. He and Tank had been on slightly shaky ground after Carrie and only a really strong foundation kept the working partnership still working. They still cared deeply about each other. There was no denying or avoiding that. Ranger wouldn't have wanted to but Stephanie was different from Carrie. She wouldn't have accepted a casual sexual fling and she was too much of a good girl for him to think she would be willing to be with both of them.

When Stephanie was with the cop it was a non-issue. He made sure he stayed on her mind. He took care of her and stole kisses. He made that deal, trying to get her out of his mind. It backfired. Instead of pulling him and Tank farther apart, his obsession with her bound them tighter together in keeping her as safe as possible. The partnership with Tank stayed platonic for the years he had chased Stephanie. If she ever gave up the cop and wanted to be with him, he didn't want to give her an excuse to say no. Tank was one of the few things he wasn't ashamed of in his past but he didn't believe someone as sheltered as Stephanie would understand and he couldn't bear to have her looking at him with disgust.

Now though, he had Stephanie. What they had wasn't well defined. Neither of them had spoken about relationships or commitment. She was probably trying to respect his previous stance on the subject. He still wanted Tank involved though and not just as a friend. He had to find a way to ease Stephanie into the subject. He didn't think he could feel happy and complete without both of them in his life.

He believed that Stephanie had a big enough heart for both of them and wouldn't make him choose. He just had to get her to start thinking of a non-traditional relationship as an option. Maybe he didn't have as far to go as he feared. She had seemed willing enough to sleep with the two of them last night.

Ranger was back in the parking lot of Stephanie's building. Instead of heading straight up, he got in the explorer and made a quick stop back at Haywood for a 5-minute shower and to pick up an omelet pan and a tray for breakfast in bed. Then he went to the grocery store for omelet ingredients and the Tasty Pastry. Coffee for everyone and two Boston Cream donuts. If Stephanie was still sleeping with Tank, she deserved a treat to show her that he wanted her there and encourage her to stay there and get comfortable with it.

He sent a quick text to Tank before letting himself back into the apartment, not wanting to alarm him. Ranger dropped the bags in the living room and hurried to peek into the bedroom. He found Stephanie asleep in Tank's arms. One of Tank's hands had been under the pillow, probably on a stashed gun but when he saw Ranger, he relaxed. She looked tiny compared to Tank but she also looked very right in his arms, even if she was wrapped in covers and Tank was on top. He wished he could crawl in and join them but it was too soon for that.

Ranger sat on the edge of the bed. "Did she sleep the whole time?" he asked.

"No. She was thinking hard about something. Wanted to get up and run. You sure this is a good idea?"

"Yes." No. What if he was wrong about her ability to accept them? Ranger brushed a strand of her hair away from Stephanie's face. "Babe. Wake up."

"Ranger?" her voice was filled with sleep but her stomach growled loudly.

"I brought you a Boston Cream." Her eyes popped open but still seemed a little unfocused. She made a grab for the Tasty Pastry bag that he held out but she was still pinned to Tank's chest and he held it out of reach.

"Tank said there was a chance of breakfast in bed."

"Definitely a chance. You're so sexy laying there with Tank that I'm having trouble not crawling back in bed with you. If you give me a few minutes to more to watch you, I'll go get started on breakfast." Stephanie's face went red at that comment but Ranger just handed her the Tasty Pastry bag. Then he retrieved two of the coffees he had left in the living room.

He left them together, sipping the coffees and sharing the donuts, when he went to prepare breakfast. For this to work, Stephanie had to be as comfortable with Tank as she was with him. Ranger wasn't entirely sure how to accomplish that but giving them alone time was one thing he could do easily enough.

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**A/N - I'm "on call" this weekend. If it's quiet, you might get another chapter Sunday. If it's not quiet, next chapter probably Monday afternoon. (I'm in Pennsylvania, United States so all days are based on my day.)**


	7. Chapter 7

Standard disclaimer: The characters and world are not mine. I'm playing in Janet Evanovich's world, with her character's and not making any money.

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"Babe. Wake up."

"Ranger?" Stephanie asked. Her stomach growled loudly, definitely time to wake up. Why was Ranger's voice in front of her but someone laying behind her? Ranger had caught her sleeping with Tank. Did he know she had woken up earlier and decided to stay in bed?

"I brought you a Boston Cream," Ranger told Stephanie. She opened her eyes and made a grab for the bag, hoping to use the movement to get away from Tank. Joe would totally freak out if he saw someone else in bed with her, even if it was platonic. Stephanie didn't want to start the morning with a fight. Ranger wouldn't yell like Joe but he had been letting her in lately and she didn't want him to go all silent and closed down again. Tank held on to her though and Ranger didn't seem at all upset to find her in someone else's arms.

"Tank said there was a chance of breakfast in bed," Stephanie told Ranger. She wondered if Tank would still be holding on to her if he thought Ranger would mind.

"Definitely a chance. You're so sexy laying there with Tank that I'm having trouble not crawling back in bed with you. If you give me a few minutes more to watch you, I'll go get started on breakfast." Stephanie felt her face flush and it felt really warm in the room. Ranger liked seeing her with Tank? Nick had said the same thing about seeing her dance with Aaron, that it was sexy watching the two of them together. Of course, they were married now and she was alone. That one drunken night with the three of them had ended with two of them together and Nick dumping Stephanie.

Ranger gave Stephanie the Tasty Pastry bag and brought them in coffees and then went out to the kitchen. Tank and Stephanie shifted around so they were more sitting up than laying down. There were two Boston Creams in the bag and Tank apparently expected to share them because he reached for the bag after Stephanie had gotten hers out. "You eat this stuff?" She asked.

Tank shrugged. "It's not an everyday thing."

As they ate their donuts, Stephanie could feel Tank pulling away from her. Not physically but he was quieter than when Ranger was out for his run. Something was bothering him and she didn't know how to ask what. She bumped his arm with her shoulder. When he looked down at her, she still didn't know what to say so she blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "So how often do you get Ranger to bring you breakfast in bed?" There seemed to be history there.

Tank's face went blank. That was not a question he had expected or wanted to answer. He cared about Ranger and wanted him to be happy. No qualifications or stipulations. If that meant stepping away so the two of them could be together, Tank was willing to do that. Things had been platonic since the Bombshell Bounty Hunter had come into their lives. Tank had even somehow ended up with Lula thinking they were in a relationship for a while. That woman just didn't take 'no' for an answer. Would telling Stephanie about his past with Ranger help or hurt that growing relationship? On the other hand, he hoped to be part of that relationship in some way and certainly intended to stay friends with both of them so lying wasn't acceptable.

"Not so much recently," Tank finally answered. Truth but really an evasion. Part of him squirmed about that. For the job sometimes lying was necessary but in relationships, that kind of thing could tear people apart. He couldn't just let it there, especially with Stephanie's face showing so clearly that she wanted to ask more but was afraid. He wondered if she was afraid of him or of the answer. "He hasn't given me breakfast in bed since I had that broken leg and before that, not since before we moved to Trenton."

"Lots of history between you two," Stephanie observed but it was clear that her thoughts weren't on him anymore. She was following some inner path.

"Yes," Tank agreed cautiously, trying to get her attention back to now. "There's a lot of history and not all of it is good. You've been a huge good thing in his life for the time he's known you."

"Entertainment," Stephanie said bitterly.

"A source of happiness," Tank corrected gently, draping an arm over her shoulders and pulling her closer to his side. "For both of us," he admitted. She looked up into his face. It wasn't blank but she couldn't really understand what she saw there. He seemed hopeful and cautious but she couldn't figure out about what.

Ranger came into the room then with two trays containing three breakfasts. There was omelets, toast, and small bowls of fruit. One of those bowls of fruit had whipped cream on it. Stephanie tucked her feet up to sit crossed legged, pulling slightly away from Tank. Ranger set the trays down and sat at the foot of the bed across the tray from Stephanie. They ate mostly in silence, the men shifting uncomfortably and exchanging looks as Stephanie moaned her way through breakfast.

When they finished, Tank carried the trays to the kitchen and then stood frozen for a moment in the bedroom doorway. In the few seconds he had been gone, somehow Stephanie had ended up on her back underneath Ranger. From the intensity of their kissing, Stephanie had probably forgotten he was in the apartment. Tank took a deep breath, leashing his libido so he wouldn't do anything to scare Stephanie. Then he sat on the bed beside them. When Ranger pulled back from Stephanie, Tank could see her nipples erect and outlined clearly under the thin tank top. She grabbed Ranger's shirt, as if she was about to pull him back down to her but then her eyes shifted to Tank.

When Stephanie saw Tank beside her and Ranger, she wanted to reach out to him and pull him down instead of Ranger, compare kisses. The voice in the back of her head disapproved of that thought, called her a slut. Tank was looking at her like she was good enough to eat and that nearly drowned out the voice of reason. This was so bad. It could only end up in someone getting hurt, like Nick breaking up with her and going out with Aaron instead.

Tank cleared his throat. The way she looked at him made it hard to hold on to his control but when the lust shifted to sadness, he wished that he really did have ESP. Ranger saw the sadness cross her face too and wondered what had put it there.

"It doesn't look like you two need me here today. I should put in some time at the office since bossman here has been ordered to stay offline."

"You didn't get much sleep," Stephanie worried.

"I'll stay in the office," Tank assured her. "What are your plans for the day?"

"I should check in with Connie to see if there are any skips for me. You guys can both go to work."

"I'll stick with you today, Babe."

"If you're not supposed to be in the field, isn't coming with me to catch skips working?"

"Babe."

Since Ranger had gotten enough sleep to be safe, Tank did not want to get in the middle of that one. That was for them to sort out. "Call me if you two need backup," he told them. He leaned forward to give Stephanie a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. "That goes for both of you." Then he grabbed his boots and hurried out of the apartment.


	8. Chapter 8

_Standard disclaimer: The characters and world are not mine. I'm playing in Janet Evanovich's world, with her character's and not making any money._

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(Stephanie POV)

"So why aren't you allowed to work today?" I asked Ranger as Tank left my apartment.

"Bobby thinks he's my mother." Ranger's tone was as dry as the desert but there was an almost smile on his face. I bet he appreciated that they cared even when he was annoyed with them.

"That's not really an answer."

"Unless you want Tank joining us regularly so we can take turns sleeping, I should stay at Haywood tonight. I'd enjoy spending the day with you." Wow. Ranger could actually share something. He wanted to spend the day with me.

"I have to go get skips," I told him regretfully. "I have rent to pay. I can't spend the day in bed with you."

I expected a wolf grin and a comment about how he could convince me to stay in bed all day. I was dead wrong. Ranger's eyebrows were drawn together slightly and there was a hint of a frown on his face. He was silent for a long moment. Finally he said, "I enjoy time with you, whether it's in bed or at the office or chasing skips. Do you think we're just sex, Babe?"

I didn't know how to answer that or how to react to Ranger sharing emotions. I didn't see this side of him often. I gave him a hug. "Of course not. You're always there for me."

He held me really tight for a long moment, nose buried in my hair, breathing my scent. Then his arms relaxed. "I'll clean up the kitchen while you shower," he told me, standing up and retreating. He was closed back off again, no more hints of emotions. I wanted the emotions back.

"Join me in the shower," I offered. Sex was a way to feel connected to him rather than closed off.

He gave me his wolf grin. "If I get in the shower with you, we won't go out to get skips. I'm good in the shower." I believed him, so I went to shower alone.

When I was showered and dressed, I gave Rex a bit of leftover fruit from breakfast and we left the apartment. In the lot, we saw that Tank had left with the explorer. Ranger frowned a bit as he considered my current POS, a 1998 Saturn S2 with dark green peeling paint, but he held out his hand for the keys.

At the bonds office, Connie and Lulu looked like they were full of questions for me but Ranger's presence kept them quiet except for Lula's demand that I'd better call her later. There were two skips for me, Mooner and Theodore Richards, who was another regular. This time it was drunk and disorderly. Mooner would be willing to come with me if I stopped by a bit later once he was awake. Theodore, mostly known as Teddy, was not so cute and friendly and he would not be happy to see me.

Since it wasn't even noon yet, I could hope that he would still be still hung over enough from last night's drinking not to put up a fight but with Ranger along, even if Teddy was feisty, I wasn't expecting any problems.

I was wrong. Ranger parallel parked my car at the curb, directly in front of his apartment building. He had excellent parking karma, as usual but even more impressive, he managed to fit the Saturn in a space that I didn't think was large enough to parallel park in. Before we even got out of the car, Teddy had seen us and started throwing empty and partially empty glass bottles at us from his balcony. Ranger handed me his backup gun and we both got out of the car and made a run for the door. Neither of us got hit by a flying bottle but there was shattered glass and spilled alcohol on the pavement around my car. It seemed to have a few extra dents but I figured if I could get out of the parking space without getting a flat tire, it was probably still drivable. Once we were safely in the building, we ran up the stairs. Ranger picked the locks on Teddy's apartment and had him handcuffed before he made it back in off of the balcony.

We were just coming out the front door of the apartment building as someone drove by and tossed a lit cigarette out of their car window. It must have hit the spilled alcohol because there was a woosh! and my car was covered in flames. For a few seconds, I held onto hope. It was just flame on alcohol on the car. Bad for my paint job but if it went out fast, the car might still survive. Some of it must have gotten under the car though because with a Boom!, my car exploded. Ranger pushed me to the ground and covered me with his body at the initial explosion but as we were getting up off of the ground, his eyes suddenly narrowed and he shoved me back into the building. I couldn't see what the problem was at first but then the car parked behind mine went up in a giant ball of flames too.

I called 911. Ranger called Rangeman to let them know why my tracker had gone offline and ordered someone bring us a ride. By the time the police and fire company had arrived to get things under control, three more cars had joined mine in car heaven. People were watching out their windows or had poured out of their apartments.

I was giving my statement to Eddie and convincing him to take my skip in with him when Ranger's Cayenne and one of the fleet explorers arrived. Ranger went to talk to them. It was a relief that Joe was undercover out of town somewhere and not here to yell at me. When I finished with Eddie and he put my skip in the back of a police cruiser, I started to go to the small gathering of men in black. Someone grabbed my arm before I could get to them.

"You bitch!" he said in a low, poisonous voice. "Destroyed my fucking ride. You gonna pay for that." His fist hit me in the belly. Pain radiated through me and I made a little whimper noise as I fought for breath. I would have fallen if his iron grip on my arm hadn't kept me upright. He pulled his free hand back for another strike but he was grabbed and yanked away from me. I fell to the ground, arms curled around my stomach. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the man on the ground, curled up in a ball, trying to protect himself from Ranger. He was just a bully, happy to hurt me but not strong enough to give Ranger any trouble. He didn't even try to fight Ranger.

Tank knelt on the ground beside me. "Let me see," he told me, reaching for the hem of my shirt.

"Get Ranger," I told him. "Cops. Assault"

"It's alright, little girl," Tank told me. "There are plenty of witnesses. Ranger will leave enough of that guy for the police to haul off and charge with assaulting you."

"Ranger will get charged," I tried to explain, as I started to get my breath back.

"Don't worry about Ranger," Tank assured me. We both looked over at them and I could see that Ranger had regained control of himself. He had pulled out a second set of cuffs from somewhere and was restraining the guy roughly. All the fight had gone out of the car's owner. I wasn't even sure which car had been his and I felt a little bad for him.

I stood up, feeling shaky, but before I could take a step, Tank picked me up and cradled me against his broad chest. We walked over to Ranger and Tank tried to pass me to him. "Here, you take her," Tank told him. I think Tank was trying to keep Ranger occupied and away from the poor guy on the ground, but as Ranger held out his arms, there was a moment where it didn't seem like Tank didn't to let go of me. Both held me between them.

"I can stand," I insisted, afraid of how much I liked that feeling. "I'm not that hurt. He just knocked the air out of me."

"Tank can take you to lay down somewhere and I'll take care of this guy," Ranger told me as they put me down. I felt a twinge of hurt. He had said he wanted to spend the day with me but now, when things were falling apart he'd rather do other things than take care of me. What was up with that? I could feel tears gather in my eyes and looked up to prevent them from falling. Ranger noticed anyway. He put his arm around my waist and raised an eyebrow. Tank noticed too and put an arm across my shoulders so I was standing between them, sheltered by them. I noticed that the arm Tank had thrown across my shoulders ended up touching Ranger slightly but they didn't pull away from each other at all. That was interesting enough to catch my attention and dry my eyes.

Big Dog came over to our group. The fires were out finally. "Maybe you better let me take care of this guy," he told us, nudging the man with a foot and getting a whimper.

"Sure," I told Big Dog. "Time to get Mooner?" I asked Ranger. He turned his wrist to show me his watch.

"We spent a lot of time watching the fire Babe. How about you and Tank and I grab lunch before we get Mooner?"

I looked up at Tank to see how he took being volunteered to join us for lunch but he just nodded, blank face firmly in place. The three of us piled into the cayenne and Vince and Hal got back into the explorer.

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**A/N - I'm not actually sure you could set off a chain reaction of car fires of cars parked close together on a curb but it seemed plausible to me as I was writing. Next chapter should be edited probably Wednesday, lots of talking at Shorty's and then some Stephanie and Tank alone time. And the chapter after that might be edited by Friday, someone she hasn't seen lately is waiting for Stephanie when she finally gets to Mooner's place the next day.**


	9. Chapter 9

_Standard disclaimer: The characters and world are not mine. I'm playing in Janet Evanovich's world, with her character's and not making any money._

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They entered Shorty's and assessed the available tables. Ranger wanted his back to the wall and Stephanie beside him. Tank would trust him to watch his back but would be more comfortable if his back was to the wall too. The back corner booth wasn't big enough but the whole back wall was a bench seat and the table in the middle with three chairs in front of it would work. Tank sat on the bench first. His left hand was the one free of the table, keeping his better gun hand clear. Ranger pointed to the bench beside Tank and Stephanie sat there hesitantly. She looked confused when he nudged her over to sit squeezed between him and Tank but she didn't protest.

Tank's lips twitched in an almost smile. Both men had their backs to the wall and their dominant gun hand free. Both got to sit pressed close to Stephanie. The table was a little crowded with both big men but not unbearable. Tank was happy with the seating option chosen.

After their drinks arrived and they had ordered their food, Stephanie took a good look at the men beside her. Tank was lounging, his arm along the booth back behind her and Ranger's shoulders. His pose looked indolent but she could feel the coiled tenseness in the leg pressed against hers. She figured it was some sort of tough guy act. Ranger's pose was a mirror of Tanks except instead of his arm being on the booth back it was across her shoulders. Stephanie caught movement out of the corner of her eyes but when she looked up, the men were carefully not touching each other, only her. A second ago, she would have sworn they had been touching each others shoulders, connecting with each other, even with her in the middle.

She frowned. "So is that a partner thing?" she asked them.

"Is what a partner thing, Babe?"

"You're closer than most straight guy friends I've seen. The looks and little touches. Is it because you've been through alot together?"

"Babe..." Ranger started but then he stopped, unsure of how to finish. He didn't want to lie to her but at the same time, he didn't want her to be disgusted and pull away from them, from him, when he was finally getting close to her. Everything hinged on her reaction. He had to explain just right.

Tank was wary about her reaction too but he was tired of hiding from her. He'd rather have everything in the open. Subtle wasn't really part of his skill set. He glanced around the room. No point in making them targets by telling everyone but there was a big space around them. "We were more than friends at one point," Tank said in a low voice.

"Really?" Stephanie asked. That made sense. She was delighted to have that explanation for a bunch of little things she had noticed over the years and especially more things lately. She looked back and forth between them, waiting for more information but both had clammed up. They were doing their ESP thing again.

Ranger was a little stunned that Tank had just told her but he was relieved that she seemed more interested than upset. He reached out with his free hand and took her hand. "We haven't been together that way since before we moved to Trenton," he told her.

"What happened to end it?" Stephanie asked.

Ranger shrugged. "It's a long story."

"You can't drop that kind of news on me and not give me details," Stephanie pressed. Ranger was still reluctant. "You don't trust me not to tell people?" she asked, frowning.

"That's not it," Tank said immediately. "We're just not used to talking about it. I'm not sure where to start."

"Start at the beginning," Stephanie suggested. "I'll just listen. Whatever you want to tell me is fine." They both could read acceptance and curiosity in her posture and tone. So they told her the story of them and of the disaster with Carrie. Taking turns talking and eating, one picking up if the other faltered. Both men were waiting for some type of negative reaction from Stephanie but she was only interested and attentive. Her only signs of anything other than that came when she cursed out Carrie for being a selfish bitch for trying to split them apart. The tale finished around the same time they finished eating.

Ranger thought Stephanie had been through enough excitement with the one skip that morning and wanted her to let Mooner wait to be rescheduled another day. Tank just wanted to stay with them and not go back to do office work at Haywood. He wanted a nap to make up for some of the sleep he had missed the previous night.

"I don't know what we'd do for the rest of the day if we didn't go get Mooner. You guys don't seem like the type to want to eat a pint of ice cream, watch Ghostbusters, and nap on the couch," Stephanie told them.

"We need downtime like that sometimes too."

"Just not as often."

The men exchanged a glance. Their ESP excluded her and she flinched a little but they focused back on her before she could feel really upset.

"Want to come back to my place?" Tank offered. "You can see where I live when I'm not staying at Haywood and meet my cats. Then if you want to watch a movie and nap on the couch, you can do that."

Stephanie hesitated. "Your version of the batcave? You'd let me know where it is?" Lula had complained that he always went to her place or abandoned her to go feed the cats.

"I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't willing to take you there," Tank assured her. Stephanie still seemed hesitant to agree. She looked at Ranger, searching his face for some clue about how he felt about her going to Tank's place.

"We can stop for some ice cream on the way," Ranger offered to sweeten the deal. He wished there was a local batcave to take her to. He would love to see her in his house, in his bed. He had houses outside of Boston and Miami but in Trenton, he always stayed at Haywood or if he wanted space and there were no clients using them, he would use a Rangeman safe house. Tank's condo was safe though and would hopefully let her see him more as himself and less as Ranger's shadow and partner.

Tank looked briefly uncomfortable. "Uh...There's some chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream in the freezer...but of course we can get you whatever you prefer Bombshell." Her hesitation was breaking his heart. He had offered something he didn't offer to many people and she needed to be tempted with ice cream.

Stephanie looked at the table for a moment before looking up to search Tank's face. Did he really want her there or was he only offering for Ranger because his place was safe and hers wasn't? Did it matter why she was getting the chance or only that she was? Something in Tank's face convinced her that he really meant the offer, that it was for himself and maybe her. Ranger liking it was only a side benefit.

"Yes," she said, meeting Tank's eyes, smiling. "Sounds like a plan."

Ranger dropped some cash on the table with the empty plates and held his hand out to help Stephanie slide out of the bench. At the Cayenne, Tank clambered into the back seat without protest. Ranger led Stephanie to the passenger side but before he opened the front passenger door, he stopped and opened the rear door instead. "Hop in," he told her.

Tank sat still, his blank mask in place, facing forward. The two of them could work this out. He tried to pretend he wasn't involved, that whether she sat with him and went to his condo didn't mean a thing. It meant too much and he had learned the hard way not to show those kinds of chinks in his armor.

Stephanie gave Ranger a confused look but she climbed in to sit beside Tank willingly enough. As Ranger circled back around to the driver's seat, Tank stretched his arm along the back of the seat, behind Stephanie and around her, without touching her. She sat rigid in her seat for a moment as Ranger started the vehicle but once they were moving, she scooted a little closer to Tank. They had sat in the booth at Shorty's, pressed together from knee to shoulder. There wasn't a reason to stay separated in the back seat, right?

Tank was stunned when she shifted to be closer to him but he dropped his arm off of the seat back to hug her closer to him. He closed his eyes, let his body relax, admitted to himself that he may have fallen for this woman even if Ranger hadn't. She trusted him. Most people only saw his size but even though he had frightened her at first and still occasionally caught her off guard and scared her, she still trusted him and liked him. Was it too early to hope for a little love too?

Stephanie watched Ranger for signs that he was bothered by her cuddling with Tank. She could see his almost smile in the mirror. She couldn't decide whether to be happy that she got to be close to Tank too or hurt that Ranger kept shoving her towards his partner. Did Ranger want to get rid of her, pass her off to Tank so she'd still be safe but he wouldn't have to take care of her? She tried to work up some anger about the possibility to cover the hurt but it wasn't possible. She liked being right where she was, with Tank's arm around her. He was so relaxed, enjoying her for the ride. She leaned her head into his shoulder and looked up at him and he smiled down at her. It was the same look Ranger gave her sometimes, dopey in love and not sure what he had done to deserve her.

Uh-oh. Danger Will Robinson! Both of them loved her? They had said they cared. That was okay. Nick and Aaron had cared too, were still in contact occasionally even though they lived in Boston now. Both of them in love with her though, not just caring and in lust, that was different. Joe and Ranger had both claimed to love her at the same time and both had said they didn't share and ended up pushing her towards the other. That was bad news. So why did this feel so right?

Tank noticed her tension and kissed her forehead. "Don't think about it too much," he advised. "Just feel." For a few minutes, she basked in the glow of his affection. Nothing bad could happen to her in his arms. He'd protect her, probably even from himself and Ranger.

Ranger drove in silence but not in his customary zone. His attention was mostly focused on the pair in the back seat, wishing someone else was driving so he could be back there cuddled with them. He couldn't wipe the smile off of his face.

All too soon, he parked the Cayenne in one of the condo's parking spaces marked for visitors. Tank helped Stephanie out, seeming reluctant to be out of physical contact with her. She hadn't been badly injured so she didn't really need the help but she didn't object to the help. She seemed to be floating along in her own version of the zone.

Ranger fought a brief flare of jealousy. He wasn't completely sure which bothered him more, seeing Tank with a woman or seeing Stephanie with another man. When Stephanie had been with the cop, he was never sure which of them she'd chose at any given moment. Yes, he had been jealous. He was never able to watch calmly if she was affectionate with Morelli. And Tank didn't just see Stephanie as someone to fuck and forget. He cared about her too. Unlike Morelli though, Tank would never try to keep him and Stephanie apart and from the conversation at lunch, she wouldn't try to keep him and Tank apart either. There was no need to worry. And as he felt that, believed it, the jealousy melted.

Tank used his passcode and key to get them into the building and again to take the elevator to the third floor. He unlocked his door and stepped through, immediately reaching out to type his pin on the keypad of his personal security system within the building protected by Rangeman security.

Stephanie stood, looking around the condo with wide eyes. It wasn't black. It was all cream and blue. She ran her hand along the back of the huge overstuffed couch. Tank wondered what she saw and if she approved. He wanted her to be comfortable here.

Ranger sat on the couch and urged Stephanie to choose a movie. She looked confused for a second so Tank opened the cabinet on the far wall to reveal the large screen TV and a huge selection of DVDs from many genres.

"Not all action?" she commented, surprised.

"Don't tell the guys," Tank told her.

"Which ones know where you live?" Stephanie asked.

Tank shrugged. "Anyone who spent much time on monitors probably knows. Only Bobby, Lester, Zero, Vince, Ranger and you have ever been invited in."

The men shed weapons and placed the extras on the coffee table and under couch cushions. Stephanie watched curiously, noting that they were comfortable enough to disarm but still kept everything within easy reach. Tank sat on the edge of the couch, his arm stretched along the back, like he had in the SUV. Stephanie gave Ranger a long look before she settled against Tank. Her head rested on his chest, his arm around her, and she leaned into him, kicked off her sneakers, and tucked her feet to the side on the couch.

Ranger looked at them for a moment and then shed his boots. There was barely enough room for him to lay on his side with them, his head pillowed on Stephanie's hip with her legs in front of his chest and his legs curled up as tightly as he could be. It was snug and he wasn't sure he could stay that way for the whole movie. He didn't watch the movie anyway.

He could smell the slight scent of Stephanie's arousal and tried to ignore his cock's response to it. She ran her hands through his hair, massaging his scalp. The arm that Tank had draped over Stephanie to hold her was long enough that his hand rested on Ranger's shoulder, a solid presence. One night wasn't enough to make up for two weeks of barely sleeping. Ranger let sleep claim him.

Tank looked down at the woman sleeping on his chest and his partner sleeping on her. He smiled, propped his feet on the coffee table, tilted his head back, and let himself catch a nap too.

The sound of Ranger's cell phone woke them all as the movie's ending credits flashed on the TV screen.

"Yo," Ranger answered. He listened for a brief moment, then barked, "Report." After a few more minutes of listening, he sat up. "I'll take care of it," he told the person on the line and disconnected.

"You said that you're supposed to be offline," Stephanie said.

"Want me to take care of it?" Tank offered.

"No. Just soothing a client's ruffled feathers. No actual harm was done. He just wants someone to bitch at and to know he's heard. I'll call him. Okay for me to use your office here for a video chat?"

"Sure," Tank agreed easily. Ranger kissed Stephanie thoroughly. For a second, he considered kissing Tank but though Stephanie's reaction to hearing about their previous relationship had been good, he worried that seeing it would be too much, so he didn't. Tank caught the hesitation and the mental debate and smiled slightly. Even though Ranger had decided 'no' he had at least thought about it. The curly haired brunette was bringing them back closer together, even if they weren't quite there yet.

"Ice cream?" Tank asked Stephanie as Ranger headed back towards his home office. Stephanie nodded and followed him to the kitchen. Tank leaned over to pull a half gallon of chocolate chip cookie dough from the freezer drawer and brought it to the breakfast bar for Stephanie, grabbing two spoons from a drawer.

"Share or bowls?" he asked.

"Sharing is fine," She replied, digging her spoon into the frozen treat. They ate in silence for a few minutes. Tank was comfortable with silence but he could tell that Stephanie was thinking hard about something.

"Do you think you guys would be, like, a committed couple if Ranger never met me?" She finally asked.

"I don't know Steph. We never really were an exclusive couple. It was always an open thing. And after Carrie, things weren't very good between us. It was a miracle we stayed friends at all."

"Do you hate me for coming between you?" Stephanie pressed, eyes on the ice cream.

"You're not coming between us," Tank told her. "You've brought us back together."

"And now you wish I'd butt out?"

Tank frowned. Where did she get these ideas? What had they done to make her even think that? "No," he said firmly, putting his face level with the ice cream, forcing her to meet his eyes. "Never. I wish you'd stay forever."

"Ranger doesn't do forever or relationships," Stephanie told Tank. And when Tank started to open his mouth to reply, she pressed on, "He told me so. His life doesn't lend itself to relationships. His love doesn't come with a ring. He loves me in his own way. I guess I just have to take whatever is left after you and his business and the in the wind stuff."

"What about what you want?" Tank asked. "Do you want a ring and 2.5 kids and a picket fence?"

"No," Stephanie admitted. "I don't think I want to get married again and I'm not sure whether I'll ever want kids. But I want to come first with someone, you know?"

"You can be first with both of us if you want that," Tank told her and before she could protest that he couldn't promise for both of them, he rushed on, "If you think you don't come first with Ranger, you haven't been paying attention at all."

"I..." Stephanie took another bite of ice cream. Tears rolled down her face. She wiped them angrily. Then stomped over to the door, wanting to run, but she realized that the security system had been re-engaged and she couldn't open the door without setting it off. Tank's arms surrounded her, pulling her to his chest. She tried to push away but he wouldn't let go. Eventually she stopped struggling and looked up. "I wish I believed it was possible," she finally admitted, defeated.

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**A/N - This was the planned Wednesday post. I got the editing done early. Yeah, I cut the details of the conversation at Shorty's. A lot of them were in Ranger's head while he was running and I didn't think rehashing them added much to the story. No promises for an update before Friday but I'll try.**


	10. Chapter 10

I've been getting some seriously mixed reviews and PMs. Some of you like it. Some of you really hate it. And apparently, some love to hate it. I'm wondering if that's common. Nobody has done any serious picking on me for bad editing though, even though I know these aren't perfect, so I'm counting all reviews as a win. It's so interesting to hear everyone's opinions. :-)

_Standard disclaimer: The characters and world are not mine. I'm playing in Janet Evanovich's world, with her character's and not making any money._

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"Anything's possible if you want it enough," Tank told her. "Trick is that it has to be you that wants it, not what people tell you they think you should want." He wiped her tears with his thumbs and she gazed up at his face, trying to decide if he was sincere. He definitely appeared to be.

"I need some time to think," Stephanie told him. "And I need to talk to Ranger. And I want to know the details of whatever the hell you think you want from me."

"Okay. Do you want me to make myself scarce so you can have the living room to yourself or do you want to hide in my bedroom or did you really want to leave?"

"I need shopping therapy. And a new phone. Mine was plugged into the car. They went to car heaven together."

"Here," he fished a set of keys out of his pocket. "The back of the elevator opens into the parking garage, those are the numbers labeled G. My space is on the second floor. Take my truck. And..." He frowned for a moment. Then he went into the kitchen and returned with a piece of paper and a pen that he used to write a string of 8 numbers and letters on the paper, which he handed to Stephanie. "If you lose that, call me or the control room as soon as you notice so it can be changed."

"Tank..." She didn't know what to say.

"It's that or calling the control room when you want them to let you in and out and then I have to tell them that you should be given access. Building key and my door key are on the key ring with the truck key."

She looked at the keys and code with wide eyes. "I can't take your truck. I just destroyed my car a few hours ago."

Tank shrugged. "Cars can be replaced. Just stay safe. Call one of us later if you want to talk."

"You're just going to let me go?" She wasn't sure she wanted to be let go. She wanted to be told not to go.

"It's your choice. You're welcome to stay or free to go." Tank's blank face was firmly in place. She wondered if it was hard to learn to stuff himself behind the mask or whether taking the mask off was the hard part.

She stepped towards him for a goodbye hug. She hadn't ever really been close to him before last night but she wanted to and she didn't think he'd object after all of the touching today. He folded her into his arms, squeezing until she squeaked slightly and then just holding her snugly until he felt her pull back.

"Okay?" he asked.

"Yeah. Thanks." She looked at the touch screen keypad of the alarm system, followed the prompts, punched in the code and was gone. Tank flopped on the couch, not at all eager to explain this to Ranger.

Stephanie walked down the corridor and got into the elevator in a haze. Tank had given her the keys and code to his personal vehicle and the apartment that he owned. She had thought that they barely knew each other before this. He had always been so distant and unapproachable and now suddenly there were times when he was wide open. She wasn't sure what to think. His advice a few times, to not think, just feel, was helpful in some ways. If she wasn't thinking about what everyone would say or how she should behave or what had happened in the past and was just feeling her way through, acting however felt right, it was easy to be close to him or them both together. Her hormones loved the idea and something inside felt so right when she was with them. She couldn't do anything though if she couldn't think about it without panic. She had to think. Acting impulsively without thinking was the thing Joe and her mother most wanted her to change. On the other hand, while her impulsiveness had occasionally gotten her into some bad places, those same instinctive reactions also helped her get back out of trouble and find her skips.

Tank's personal truck was a dark blue F-250. She hesitated before climbing in but ultimately, she wanted to leave and she couldn't call her dad to pick her up and give away where Tank was living. She promised herself to take the truck straight to the mall and then to Haywood for Tank to get it back. She could call someone for a ride from Haywood. That wouldn't be too unusual.

She hit the cell phone store in the mall first. She was happy she had taken her purse with her handcuffs and stun gun into the skips building with her so she had her usual stuff except her cell phone, which had been on the charger in the car. The clerk at the wireless store was a burg girl.

As she worked on the computer stuff to have Stephanie's information linked to the IMEI of the new phone, she chattered about the hot gossip of the day, someone seeing Stephanie at the scene of the explosion in the arms of two men. There were even pictures as proof. She was so glad the Bombshell Bounty Hunter had come to the store during her shift so she could say she helped her with her now phone.

"Wait. Back up," Stephanie demanded when the girl paused for a breath. "Pictures?"

"Uh...yeah. Two of them. Want to see?" the clerk fished out her own phone and pulled up a message to show Stephanie. One was of when Tank was trying to pass her to Ranger. At the moment when he had held on too long, someone had snapped a picture of her cradled between them. The second picture was of her standing between them. Each man had an arm around her. She knew they had been touching each other too but she couldn't see that in the picture.

The clerk continued to babble as Stephanie stared at the pictures. "They are both so totally deliciously hot. You're so lucky. Are you with like all of those hot guys or just those two? I mean, they're, like a little on the old side but for such yummy bad boys, I wouldn't mind." Stephanie considered the clerk for a moment. She looked like she was maybe in her early 20's and Stephanie thought Binkie might be just a few years older than this girl.

"Just those two are mine. There's a whole building full of them though and a bunch of them are younger," she told the girl. Then she shook thoughts of matchmaking out of her head as she heard what she had just said. This was going to be all over the burg by dinner time. She'd better talk to Ranger and figure some things out to decide what she was going to tell her mother.

"There, all done," the clerk said, handing Stephanie her new phone and interrupting her spinning thoughts.

"Can you send me these pictures?" Stephanie asked. This was going to cause problems. She just knew it but she wanted them anyway. She tried to tell herself that she meant just the pictures, but even she didn't believe her own lie there.

"Sure," the girl said and within seconds, Stephanie's new phone chirped to show the incoming picture messages. Stephanie thanked the clerk and hurried out of the store.

She went back out to Tank's truck without doing any shopping and just sat there, inhaling his scent. She needed to talk to Ranger but she didn't know how to start. She hoped they weren't angry with her for leaving this afternoon. She picked up her new cell phone and forwarded the photos of the three of them together to Ranger's phone.

When Ranger got done soothing the client, he found Tank asleep stretched out on the couch. He searched the condo for Stephanie but she was gone. He checked the alarm system and saw the exit recorded, so Tank must have let her out or given her the code. He balled his hands into tight fists for a second and then deliberately relaxed them and forced the rest of his muscles to follow. He was not going to explode, but he wanted to. He did shove Tank's shoulder unnecessarily hard to wake him up.

"What?" Tank growled.

"Where's Stephanie?"

"Pull up her trackers," Tank suggested. "She had her purse and I gave her the keys to my truck."

"You let her leave?"

"She wasn't a prisoner here, Ric. She said she needed to get out for a bit."

Ranger went back into the office briefly and returned with Tank's laptop. Tank had sat up on the couch and Ranger settled right beside him so they could both see the screen as he worked.

"At the mall," Ranger observed once the trackers were blinking on the on screen map.

"Bad parking space," Tank noted.

"She never gets a good one."

"What did you do to her to chase her away while I was on the call?"

"We ate ice cream," Tank replied and recounted the conversation from earlier, his own temper sparking. "I know you've had a thing for her for a while, but man, from what she said, you've been playing serious games with that girl. She doesn't know which way is up with you." Ranger sat in brooding silence, staring at the blink of the trackers. Tank waited for a few minutes but when Ranger didn't seem inclined to talk to him about it, he shifted gears. "I gotta get back to the office. I still have to set up next week's schedule."

"I'll give you a ride," Ranger offered. They both went back to Haywood. Tank to his office on the 5th floor to try to focus on work. Ranger to the gym to work out some of his frustration on a punching bag. No one was willing to get in the ring with him in that mood.

The sound of his cell phone's message notification jolted out of his zone a while later and he noted distantly that his knuckles were bleeding slightly. The pictures on his phone made him smile the full thousand watts. The few other men in the gym at that time of day gave him wary looks, not used to seeing any expression on his face. They understood the frustration focused on a punching bag. They'd done that type of thing many times themselves but the switch from anger to grinning with a single text message was foreign to them.

Babe. Where did you get the great pictures? Ranger texted in response as he walked the stairs up to seven to shower.

Wireless store. Probably everyone has seen them by now. Stephanie replied.

You feeling up to dinner with me tonight at Haywood? Ranger asked.

Sure. I have to bring Tank his truck and keys anyway.

A little while later, Stephanie parked Tank's truck in the garage at Haywood and sat for a minute, trying to gather her courage. The guys in the control room probably thought she was nuts by the time she stuffed her new cell phone in her purse and got into the elevator, pressing 5 so she could give Tank his keys.

She knocked on the door and when he barked, "Enter," she peeked around the door frame. He looked up with a scowl but it shifted to a slight smile when he saw her. She held up his keys.

"The truck is downstairs in one piece," she told him.

He motioned her towards the desk so she came in and shut the door. He took the keys, removed the truck key, and gave the building and apartment keys back to her. "I wanted you to keep those."

"Why?" she asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

"Think of it as a safe place when you need it. Doesn't matter if you're dating Ranger or me or both of us or neither of us. You can kick me out to sleep at my efficiency here if you need to."

"Why?" she asked again.

He frowned, looked away and then back to her, studying her face. "Want you to be safe. Like the idea of you at my condo. Isn't that enough?" When she hesitated, he pressed, "No strings attached."

"I never knew you could talk this much," she told him.

"Got my degree in psychology. Mostly focused on PTSD and such. If nothing else, I can see when communication is needed, even if talking will never be my favorite thing." She sat in one of his visitor's chairs and he moved from behind his desk to sit next to her, studying her face. "You need to talk to Ranger," he advised finally. "I'm here, in whatever way you want or need me. I can do exclusive to just you and Ranger if you want that. Or I can be a sometimes fuck buddy to one or both of you and pursue other relationships. Or I can just be a friend. Any of that is okay with me. I don't want to tear you and Ranger apart."

"And what about your relationship with Ranger?"

"Ranger and I don't have a relationship the way you think of a relationship. We were never exclusive boyfriends or anything."

"You had something though," she pressed.

"We're friends. Partners at work. We've seen some shit together that we can't talk about so we understand each other. Sometimes we shared sex. Ultimately, the sex part ain't that important. And I don't think you're the type that would try to tear apart a friendship."

"That would hurt him. Hurt you. I wouldn't try to keep you apart or make him choose. But will he make me choose? Both of you in my bed or neither of you?"

"Talk to him," Tank advised.

Stephanie stood and Tank walked her to the door. She gave him a quick hug before escaping the office and catching the elevator to seven. Ella was just leaving as Stephanie arrived.

"He showed me the picture dear," Ella commented as they passed each other in the hall. "The three of you look very happy together." Then she was gone, the elevator doors closing behind her before Stephanie could form a reply.

Alone in the hallway, she tapped slightly at Ranger's door and he opened it immediately. He hugged her.

"When I found you gone, I worried we had scared you away," he told her.

"What do you want from me?" she asked him.

"Why are you scared of being loved?" he countered.

"I'm not scared of being loved by you," she replied. "I'll take whatever little pieces of you're life you're willing to throw at me because I don't want to live without you."

"If you could have anything, from me what would you want?"

"You don't do relationships," Stephanie replied bitterly. "Except, apparently with Tank."

Ranger ran a hand through his hair, pulling slightly to let the pain help him focus. "Tank and I didn't have a relationship like you think of a couple," he told her finally. "It was a working partnership that was also a friendship. Sometimes it included sex."

"You were committed to him," Stephanie replied. "He came first. That's a relationship."

Ranger shrugged. "No ring. No promises. We just shared what we could. There was no demand for more."

Stephanie distracted herself by lifting up a lids on the plates. Chicken and mixed vegetables. One plate had bacon wrapped chicken and a sauce that looked cheesy. The other chicken breast appeared to be stuffed with spinach and feta and there was no sauce on the veggies. She tasted the cheese sauce on her plate with a finger and Ranger's eyes darkened as he watched.

"Do you think I would demand more from you than you're willing to give?" Stephanie asked him. "I never really asked for anything you've given me."

"It's all give freely," he told her. "No price."

"Is sleeping with Tank the price of having you as my, whatever you are?"

"No," Ranger replied. "I love being with you. You can define us however you like. I'll even get you that ring if you want one. You'd enjoy being with Tank too if you gave him a chance." Stephanie sat down and started eating, wanting time to think about what Ranger was saying. He started his own dinner. "You don't have to decide now or do anything. But I can tell that you're attracted to him. I understand that because I am too."

"What concerns you?" Ranger pressed her as they finished their food, trying to be patient and remember that she probably had never even considered a three-way relationship before. She shrugged. Ranger opened the refrigerator and pulled out a piece of cheese cake that Ella had left for Stephanie's dessert. There were slices of strawberries covering the top and a drizzle of chocolate making a pattern over the slice of cheese cake and the plate. Stephanie reached for the plate he held in his hand but he kept it out of reach and tugged her other hand, leading to the living room.

He cut a bite of the dessert with his fork and offered it to her. "Give me one concern or fear and you can have one bite."

"How will I tell my mother?"

"From what you said, that picture's all over the town by now. She already knows, or thinks she does." Ranger gave her the bite of cheese cake and she moaned. More focused on the dessert than his response. "You don't have to tell her anything if you don't want to."

"What will she say?"

Ranger chose to see that as a second concern and gave her another bite. His cock pressed against the zipper already listening to the noises she was making. "You don't have to let her say anything," he advised, trying to focus on the questions.

"If we define our relationship, are you going to start bossing me around like Joe thought he could and try to make me quit my job?"

"I love you the way you are," he replied. "I can provide you with backup or offer you more training or offer you a job here. Which you accept is your choice.

"No bodyguards or forcing me into safe houses."

Ranger wondered if that was really a big concern but he fed her the next bite anyway. "I just want to keep you safe babe. We can talk about reasonable security precautions."

Stephanie was more focused on the cheese cake than on Ranger. She blurted out the next thing that came to mind without thinking. "Threesomes mean butt stuff and that hurts." Ranger was very still and she chanced a glance at his face. His jaw was clenched tightly.

"I'd like to kill whoever hurt you that way," Ranger replied, trying to keep his voice even, as he fed her another bite. "It doesn't have to hurt," he assured her, leaning in to lick some stray chocolate off of her lower lip. That turned into a steamy kiss and he almost dropped the plate he was holding. "I bet we can teach you to love it but you don't even have to try it once if you don't want to." She blushed and Ranger distracted her with another bite of cheese cake. "You don't even have to be with both of us at once, though I'd love that."

"Nick dumped me for Aaron. You'll leave me for Tank."

"It would never happen," Ranger assured her as he fed her another bite. He really wanting the story behind that one but he was running out of cheese cake and if he was afraid he'd be permanently scarred by his zipper.

"You left Carrie for Tank."

"You planning to try to keep Tank and I from being friends, Babe?"

"Never."

"Then no problem," Ranger replied, feeding her the last bite of dessert. "I want both of you as much as possible, not one or the other."

"Stay here tonight?" Ranger asked, hoping she wouldn't leave him in this state, and wanting to show her just how much he loved her and couldn't get enough of her.

"I get to be your dessert?" Stephanie replied.

"Please."

The next morning, Stephanie woke up alone, tangled in sheets. The sound of the shower told her that Ranger was awake already. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was nearly noon. Well, they had been up really late.

Ranger emerged from the bathroom and gave her a light kiss before starting to dress. "Ella will have lunch for me and breakfast for you up in half an hour or so. You should shower."

Stephanie showered and dressed in one of her Rangeman uniforms from Ranger's closet. She emerged from the bedroom as Ella was leaving. As they ate, Stephanie played her voice mail on speaker. 4 from her mother. Delete. Half a dozen from various people trying to get her to confirm the rumors circulating about her and the two hot men she had been seen with. Ranger smiled faintly at those. One from Mooner, "Hey dudette! There's someone here who wants to see you. It's, like, a surprise. We stopped by your apartment but you weren't there."

"Good," Stephanie said. "I have to take him in to reschedule today anyway. I can see who is there then."

Ranger didn't share her enthusiasm. It sounded a lot like a trap to him. He tried for neutral though, knowing she considered Mooner to be a friend. "How about I drive you for that? Then we can go get you a new car after." Stephanie didn't want to take another one of Ranger's cars so she agreed. After lunch, they went.

As Mooner opened the door for her, there was a crash from the kitchen. Ranger tensed. When Mooner called "It's Stephanie," a man rushed out of the kitchen towards them and Ranger tackled him, pinning him to the floor and pressed the gun to the back of the man's head.

Stephanie leaned down to get a good look at the person so excited to see her. "Hey Nick," she said casually. "Probably it's safe to let him up," she told Ranger.

* * *

**A/N - I'm sure you noticed the fade out of Steph and Ranger in the bedroom at Haywood. I removed it for 3 reasons:**

_1) I don't write smut often and in this case it was fairly graphic and perhaps a little too much if you have tender sensibilities._

_2) I somehow switched to 1st person, Stephanie's POV for the scene. It's one of my most common writing mistakes. I wasn't looking forward to moving either that scene to 3rd person or the rest of the chapter to 1st so I simply took it out._

_3) This site is supposed to be nothing higher than an M rating, which is something you're supposed to be comfortable with a 16 year old reading. That bit I took out is definitely MA and I try to play by the rules when it doesn't inconvenience me too much._

_Probably quite a few of you aren't happy with the fade out. I can help with that. The scene is written, I just chose not to include it here. If you want to read it (knowing that it is as unedited and graphic sexual scene), **PM me with the email address you use to access google drive** and I will send you an invitation to view the file sometime this weekend. It's not very long and I don't do smut often but if you want it and can follow instructions, it's there to read. More smut to come, first Steph/Tank and then all three of them together, and it will probably be handled the same way._

Next post here on Monday or Tuesday. The rest of the scene with Nick.


	11. Chapter 11

**My PM inbox kind of exploded over the weekend and I never replied to anyone. To anyone who PM'd me, I'll get you the link to read the outtake and I have some longer replies to write to a few of you, but I was a bit overwhelmed by the response. I love it, don't get me wrong but wow. I thought I'd get this chapter edited and posted for everyone before tackling the PMs.**

_Standard disclaimer: The characters and world are not mine. I'm playing in Janet Evanovich's world, with her character's and not making any money._

* * *

(Stephanie POV)

Ranger moved away from Nick, but put himself between Nick and I. When we had a few feet of space, he holstered his gun and said, "You can get up." His voice was soft but still somehow threatening. His face was blank.

Nick stood and eyed Ranger warily for a breath. Then he looked past him to focus on me. "Don't you have a hug for an old friend?" he asked.

Even when I was most angry at him, I never could resist. I stepped past Ranger and into Nick's arms. He was shorter than Ranger, built leaner. He used to be an outdoorsy guy and had kept the same lean build he had in college, as if he still went backpacking regularly and couldn't get enough calories. When I pulled back from the hug, Ranger was right there, wrapping his left arm around my waist in a way that felt very possessive.

"Ranger, this is Nick Mercer. I dated him in college. Nick, this is..." I trailed off, unsure how to introduce Ranger.

"Carlos Manoso," Ranger filled in, offering a hand to shake. "Everyone calls me Ranger." They shook hands reasonably enough, as if Ranger hadn't just overreacted and taken Nick to the floor a few minutes ago.

"Nice to meet you," Nick told Ranger. "How long have you two been together?"

I didn't know how to answer that question really but Ranger wasn't jumping in. "We've known each other for a few years." I tried for polite chit-chat but my voice was strained. There was a breath of awkward silence and then I pushed on, tossing out politeness. "Why are you here, Nick?"

"Aaron and I want to take you out to dinner. We have a favor to ask. You can say 'no' of course but you're the person we really want to do it. If you would be willing."

"It would be, like, awesome, dudette," Mooner told me. "They're so excited." Mooner was pretty excited about whatever it was too. He was having trouble not telling me and it reminded me of when my nieces were preschoolers and trying to keep secrets. The timer went off in the kitchen and Mooner went to take care of whatever it was.

"Maybe you'd better just tell me," I suggested to Nick. "He's not very good at keeping secrets."

Nick hesitated. "We wanted to talk to you about it together. It's a big thing for us. Aaron thought maybe you'd say yes to me and then get mad when you saw him and change your mind. But you're not still mad at us at all are you? You came to the wedding and everything was fine. And since I've been here, everyone has been telling me about you and your two boyfriends and well...everything with us is all forgotten and in the past right? So you'd do a favor for us? For old time's sake?"

Ranger's grip on my waist had gotten a little too tight. I think he had realized that this was the Nick I had mentioned last night and he was not pleased. "What's the favor?" I asked cautiously. "I'll go pry it out of Mooner if you won't tell me."

"Promise you won't say 'no' right away? You'll at least consider it, right? It would mean so much to us."

"Just spit it out, Nick."

"We really want to start a family. Will you donate eggs for us?" I stared at him in shocked silence and he rushed on. "You don't have to carry them. We've got a great agency and a surrogate carrier all lined up. And you wouldn't have to be mom or anything but you could meet any kids and be as involved as you wanted, like with your nieces. The agency can find us a donor too but we really want you."

I didn't know what to say. I had looked at egg donation a while back when I really needed money but had decided I couldn't do it anonymously. It wasn't a fast way to cash anyway. No guarantee anyone would pick me as a donor and the process was pretty involved and would have involved giving myself shots. Not fun. This wasn't anonymous though. It was for Nick. It would be a way to see what a baby me would look like and watch him or her grow without quitting my job to be pregnant or having all of the mommy stuff to do. Then I started to get angry. I hadn't seen him in person since the wedding and while we did occasionally interact on facebook, we weren't close friends anymore. He had left me, for a man, and now he wanted me to give myself shots and let him raise a mini-me? And to put me on the spot like this, 'Hi, I haven't seen you in years but would you let me have some of your eggs?' instead of emailing me and letting me think about it a bit was just unbelievable. Where did he get that confidence?

I must have been silent for too long because Ranger brushed a kiss on my forehead. "Babe? Deep thoughts?" I shook my head, not even sure where to start.

Mooner came back from the kitchen, oblivious to the tension between us. "Anyone want a brownie?"

"You have to go down to reschedule your court date, Mooner. Maybe you'd better let the brownies cool and have some when you get back," I told him.

"Okay," he agreed. Then he wandered towards his bedroom saying, "Lemme find my shoes."

"Nick..." I studied him, seeing the pleading look in his dark brown eyes. It reminded me of Bob, so I reached out and ruffled his hair. It was long enough on top that it reached past his ears but short underneath. "Dinner tomorrow? Give me some time to think?"

"Sure," he agreed easily. "Want to go somewhere out of town?"

"Yeah. Call me with where you want us to meet you." I glanced up at Ranger. "Better plan on me being three, just in case." Nick nodded. He wasn't going to argue or push me now. I loved the heady rush of power. With this favor on the line, he'd do anything I asked if he thought it would push me to say yes.

Ranger, Mooner, and I headed to the police station. I called Connie on the way to meet us there and bond Mooner right back out. He assured me that he would call Nick for a ride back home. Once Ranger and I were alone in the cayenne, he finally spoke, "What happened with you and Nick?"

I figured that I owed him the story. He had told me about him and Tank. Lots of old history there. There was still a lot of old hurt in the memory of how he and I had broken up but he was happy with Aaron now. They were good together. And if we hadn't broken up, I may never have found Ranger or Tank.

"Nick and I started dating my first semester in college. It was fun. We did a lot of stuff together, usually with his friend, our friend, Aaron along. Sometimes Aaron brought a date to the parties and stuff but a lot of the time, it was just the three of us, studying or going out to eat or whatever. Nick and I found some alone time, of course. And sometimes when Nick was working, Aaron and I would just hang out. He and I were really good friends. It was almost closer than my relationship with Nick, just without the sex. Spring break of my junior year, their senior year, we planned to share a room at a resort down in Cancun. Aaron's flavor of the year ended up not coming so it was just us three and some hotel mix up ended up with us having a king bed suite, with a couch in the living area instead of the two double bed one we had booked. At first it was nice to have the extra space and the kitchen and the privacy of the separate bedroom area. Aaron stayed on the couch the first two nights until..." I trailed off, embarrassed a bit about the next part and not sure how to talk about it.

"We ended up, you know, sharing the bed." I glanced at Ranger. He was still wearing his blank mask but his hands were clenched in a white knuckled grip around the steering wheel. I hurried to justify, "It was spring break, party time. It wasn't real life. Some of it was a lot of fun for me and the two of them were really hot together and I figured we'd just be back to normal when we got home."

Here was the part that had hurt. "Things didn't go back to normal. Nick broke up with me when we got back. That wouldn't have been so bad. He was graduating that year and leaving for the job he had waiting up in Boston anyway. College romances never really last, right? And we could still have been friends. Nick came out of the closet then though, started dating Aaron. And the two of them pretty much shut me out. I didn't just lose a boyfriend. I lost my two best friends. They were together and I was alone."

My face was wet with tears at the memory and I couldn't make them stop. The cayenne swerved to the side of the road. Ranger reached over and unsnapped my seat belt and pulled me into his lap in the driver's seat. He held me and murmured to me in Spanish. I loved the sound of him speaking that language. Spanish and Italian are similar enough that I was able to catch a few words here and there. He loved me and would never leave me. Eventually, my tears dried up.

"So you see why you and Tank are scaring the crap out of me, right? You two have all of that history but I don't even want to think about what my like would be like without you."

"You want us," Ranger said softly. "Want both of us. But you're afraid we'll leave you for each other."

"Tank said he wouldn't try to separate the two of us but I kind of feel like I'm keeping you two from being together."

"We could all three be together," Ranger said. "One of us doesn't have to be left out. And you would have the security of Tank there with you next time I get a call and have to go in the wind. I wouldn't have to worry."

"I don't know," I told him. I was emotionally exhausted from reliving the memory of my time with Nick. I pulled out of his arms and he let me settle myself back in my seat. "Can you take me back to my apartment?" I asked. "I need to wash my face before we go car shopping."

"How about Haywood instead?" Ranger asked, starting the cayenne. "I could get a dry shirt."


	12. Chapter 12

_Standard disclaimer: The characters and world are not mine. I'm playing in Janet Evanovich's world, with her character's and not making any money._

* * *

(Stephanie POV)

Ranger threaded his fingers through mine and held my hand the whole way back to Rangeman. On seven, Ranger changed his shirt and then told me he was going to check on things in his office and to come get him when I was ready to go. I washed my face and tried to get some of the puffiness out of my eyes with a cool washcloth. Then I fixed my makeup but I took my time. Ranger hadn't sounded like he was in any hurry for me to be ready to go. He had work and despite needing a car, I couldn't work up any enthusiasm for car shopping. I decided to see if there were some searches for me to do for the remainder of the day and hoped that while they were running, I could decide where to go tonight. It seemed like there were a lot more options than I was used to having.

Ranger's office was empty, with the light on and the door open like he had just stepped out for a second. Tank's office door was closed but I knocked on it. "Enter," he called out and I did, closing the door behind me. Ranger was there, standing behind Tank's desk with him, both looking at the dual screen of Tank's computer. As I watched, Ranger leaned down over Tank, one arm reaching around him to move the mouse. There was a lot of intimacy in that small gesture, the absolute comfort to touch and be touched. I wondered if he would have done it in front of one of the other men. I rarely noticed contacts between them and mostly they were smaller things, easier to brush off as me imagining things.

"What are you looking at?" I asked them.

"Come see," Tank invited me. I walked over to their side of the desk and leaned in to look at the screens too. One screen held a picture and what appeared to be a pdf digital copy of a person's criminal record, like one Vinnie's paper files on a skip. The other screen was split into four, each displaying soundless video footage. The person on the first screen was sitting in a client chair in the office on the other screen.

"Is he a FTA?" I asked.

"Not one of Vinnie's," Ranger said. "This guy's federal. The office is one of our usual clients, an accounting firm specializing in offshore tax shelters and investments. Ram noticed this skip on the monitors and there's a team going to do the pick up that should be there in about two minutes."

Ranger pulled me against his side with an arm around me and we both stood behind Tank. I started to give him a light shoulder massage but stopped abruptly. I wanted to touch him. And touch seemed to be okay with him but I wasn't sure how much touch or how far I was willing to go. I didn't want to end up in tease territory. We watched on screen as two black Explorers passed in front of the building's camera looking for parking. The two sets of partners returned just as the skip was finishing up his meeting. As the skip in his suit exited the building, the men approached him. I could see their mouths moving. The skip looked frantically for somewhere to run but they had him boxed in. He reached for something under his suit jacket and a gun appeared in the hand of every Rangeman on screen, pointed at the skip. The skip's shoulders sagged and he allowed himself to be cuffed and searched for weapons.

"Ready to go, Babe?" Ranger asked, once it was clear that the team on the monitors had the skip in custody and the situation under control.

"What are you two planning to do this afternoon?" Tank asked. "

I explained to both of them about not really feeling like looking at cars and asked if there were any searches for me to do for the rest of the afternoon. "Rodriguez is on vacation so the guys are doing their own searches this week," Ranger told me.

"You could do some of my paper crap so I can go help with the redecorating job scheduled to start in half an hour," Tank offered, gesturing to the piles on his desk.

"Okay," I agreed. "Just tell me what to do."

He opened a folder that held some papers, some whole sheets with typing on them, other torn bits with barely readable scrawls, one napkin with neat block writing on it. "These are last week's time sheets," Tank told me. "I've already added up the hours and initialed them. They just need to go in a spreadsheet to be emailed to the payroll company. We don't do it in house." Then he opened an access query on the computer and pointed to the list of clients on the screen. "These clients need their quarterly system check sometime in the next month. Hector and Michael will run them. They both work alone. The checks are an on site thing and take 30-45 minutes each." Tank opened a scheduling program. "Would you feel comfortable calling the clients and scheduling the checks? Make sure to account for travel time in between."

"I can do that," I said. I bet Tank hated calling to talk to all of these people, even if it was strictly business but I wouldn't mind at all. "You need a secretary for this kind of stuff." I told him.

"If you know of one who can pass our security clearance and would be comfortable working around all of us, please let us know," Ranger interjected, glancing up from his phone screen, proving he had been paying attention. "The last time we attempted to get one, she only lasted three days. The men intimidated her and she was constantly jumping out of her skin. And the people who aren't afraid either can't pass the security clearance or would prefer to be in the field because they're not really trained for paperwork." I could see the problem. These ex-military men didn't get the training they did because they wanted to sit behind a desk every day in a 8-5 job. Even when they were on medical light duty, they got really stir crazy really fast.

"I'll take care of it this time," I told them, not wanting to promise every time because I didn't like being stuck behind a desk all of the time either but happy to help them out for now. "Can I access those files from my cubicle?"

"Why don't you work from here?" Tank offered. "I'm leaving and everything's all here."

"Okay," I agreed. Tank stood up and held his chair out for me, helping me adjust it so it was a better height for me to use the computer comfortably. Tank kissed the top of my head before he left. Ranger gave me a light kiss on the lips and told me that he'd be over in his office. I settled in to do the work, comfortable with the paperwork and client calls.

* * *

**A/N - Kind of a time filler chapter. More talking and interaction over dinnertime and in the evening in the next chapter which will be posted sometime this weekend.**


	13. Chapter 13

Sorry this is late. I got absorbed in the amazing story "Like a Silent Cry in a Dark Night" and it was impossible to put down. It was over 200,000 words long so it took me a while to finish it and put my attention back on my own story. Also saw TWO movies over the weekend. There was a line in one of them - "He was special forces, Ranger division. He will move mountains or die trying." :) Made me think of Ranger.

_Standard disclaimer: The characters and world are not mine. I'm playing in Janet Evanovich's world, with her characters and not making any money._

* * *

(Stephanie POV)

Tank's office was much nicer than working in my cubicle. The desk chair was oversized for me and cushy. With the chair up high enough for the desk to be at a comfortable height for me to work at, my feet dangled like a child's if I left them down but as big as the chair was, I could sit with my legs crossed or with one foot tucked under me easily. It was quieter in here too. I missed having the Merry Men drop by to chat with me but the silence let me work more efficiently. I was finished with the payroll spreadsheet and halfway done with the client calls, when I decided to grab a drink from the break room. I was almost to the door when someone knocked. I jumped a little but reached out to open the door.

Junior stepped inside and looked around the office and even behind the door, like he expected Tank to be in hiding somewhere. "Ms. Plum?" he asked, clearly looking for an explanation.

"Tank's on a redecorating job," I explained.

Junior hesitated for a moment and then asked hesitantly, "Could you get me a request off sheet?" I stared at him blankly for a moment. There were request off sheets here? I worked here sporadically enough that I never had a need of them and even if I was here regularly, I would probably just ask Ranger. It made sense that the guys would have a procedure for it though. I was just surprised that there were specific sheets for it when the merry men were allowed ti write their hours worked on scraps and napkins. Unfortunately, I had no idea where to find the forms. I must have been quiet too long because Junior offered, "The file cabinet in the corner, second drawer."

"Go ahead and grab it if you know where they are," I told him. "I'm gonna grab a bottle of water before I start my next call."

"No way," Junior said, putting his hands up and shaking his head in the negative.

"If you need it..." I trailed off, unsure what the problem was. Anything really classified was in secure storage, not in the offices.

"Tank likes his privacy. I'm not going to dig in his drawers." Hmmm...Tank hadn't said anything to me about not going in the drawers. He had left me in the office and I had dug around for anything I needed to use and some out of boredom while a client had me on hold. "I can't believe he left you in here all alone."

I shrugged and went to the file cabinet Junior had indicated. The second drawer was filled with neatly labeled files and it was easy to find the one for blank request off forms. I pulled one out and handed it to him. He put the paper against the door and used the pen he had carried in to fill out the form and sign it. He handed it to me when he was done and said, "Thanks Ms. Plum." Then he made his escape from Tank's office. I dropped the paper in Tank's inbox before I followed him out and grabbed a water in the break room to carry back in with me.

So far, the clients had all been surprised to hear a cheerful female voice on the phone claiming to be from Rangeman. A few of the more security conscious had asked me for their own account details to confirm my identity. All of them were very chatty with me and I had emailed quite a few notes to Tank about our conversations. They were clearly more comfortable telling me about minor troubles than Tank or the Merry Men. I couldn't really help them with questions or issues but I promised to bring the things up with the appropriate person.

The longer than expected conversations had slowed me down and I still had a third of the client list to go when there was a light tap on the door. Ranger came in and shut the door behind him without waiting for a response. He walked to my side of the desk and had a look at my screen as I confirmed the time and thanked the client on the phone. As soon as I set the phone back in the cradle, Ranger reached his arms around me to save my work efficiently and then shut off the computer.

"It's 1800," Ranger told me. "Tank is back from the redecorating job and showering. Interested in dinner with us both before I need to go help with a takedown later?"

"Sure," I agreed.

"On seven okay or did you want to go out somewhere?" he asked me.

"Upstairs is fine," I told him. Ranger put an arm around me to walk to the elevator. He touched me a lot more often since we had become more serious.

When we entered the apartment, Ranger picked up the phone to call Ella to ask for dinner for three. I wandered into the bedroom to change into clothes for laying around the apartment. If we were having dinner here, I figured I could just wait here for Ranger to get back from his takedown. I was deep in the closet, trying to decide between a tank top and one of Ranger's T-shirts when I heard the bathroom door open. I hadn't realized someone was in there

"Got an extra razor man?" Tank asked, obviously thinking the person in the closet was Ranger. Why had he showered here and not his own efficiency on four?

I poked my head out of the closet and just stared for a minute. What I could see of him through the cracked door was pure sculpted muscle. I wanted to use my mouth to trace the path of the water droplet rolling down his chest. I must have made a sound because Tank gave me the barest hint of a smile and opened the door the rest of the way, revealing that he was clad only in a towel that looked way too small on him. "Like what you see, Bomber?"

I took a couple of involuntary steps towards him before I stopped. I scolded myself silently, trying to get a grip on my hormones. "Bottom drawer of the vanity," I told Tank out loud, remembering from my time staying at the apartment last time.

Ranger entered the bedroom then, obviously done with his call to Ella. His all too knowing eyes took in Tank's mostly naked state and me staring at Tank. He crossed the room to Tank in a few quick strides. He stood very near Tank for a moment, obstructing my view before he shifted to the side so he could see me and I could see Tank again. Ranger ran his fingers down Tank's chest, following the damp path I had watched the water droplet make earlier. Then he traced the top of the towel with a finger, watching me to see my reaction. My brain all but shut off. Watching them touch was hot. It took all of my limited self control to stand still. I couldn't tear my eyes away from them. I wondered if I could sneak in a shower to use Ranger's amazing massaging shower head before dinner. Ranger's cargos were tented and his eyes were dark with desire. It was clear from the look in Tank's eyes and the movement beneath the towel that he was enjoying the attention from Ranger but he caught Ranger's wrist in his hand, stopping the caress.

"Ric..." Tank began in a rough voice before trailing off. He closed his eyes and shook his head in a negative motion.

"Babe?" Ranger asked me, his tone a challenge. I licked my lips, not sure what question he was asking. Ranger crooked one finger in a come here motion.

I approached them in a daze, hormones overriding my fears. As soon as I was close enough for Ranger to touch me without moving, he drew me to him for a mind blowing kiss. As we parted, Tank reached out and put a hand behind my neck. He had shifted to be even closer to Ranger and me, kissably close.

"Steph?" Tank asked, his lips millimeters from mine.

"Yes," I whispered. He kept the kiss light and gentle, drawing away when I still wanted more. I made a noise of protest but cut my complaint short as Tank's lips met Ranger's. Ranger always dominated the kisses between him and me. It was clear though that Tank controlled the kiss between them. I was mesmerized by the view, two pairs of heavy lidded dark eyes, chocolate skin against caramel. I never wanted the kiss to end and I wasn't even participating. When he pulled back, Ranger looked dazed.

Tank stepped back from us and into the bathroom, shutting the door. Ranger took a shaky breath and shut his eyes completely. He rubbed a hand over his face.

"Wow," I whispered to him. Ranger's eyes flew open and focused on mine, looking for something and apparently liking what he found because he smiled.

"Yeah," he agreed. He sat on his bed. I looked at him there, heard the sounds of Tank moving in the bathroom, and rational thought came flooding back to me. The lust I had been feeling shifted to cold fear as I considered our potential future for a heartbeat. I turned on my heel and fled the room.

I didn't get far. I was afraid that if I really ran, they wouldn't chase me.. The couch seemed removed enough from them. I could breathe without the maleness surrounding me. The fear eased when I had that little bit of space. I had enjoyed kissing them both and liked seeing them kiss each other. I had to admit, if only to myself that I had wanted more.

I heard them talking in the bedroom. They weren't loud enough for me to hear words but the rise and fall of voices was clear. When they emerged, Ranger wore his blank face. Tank looked concerned. Tank came directly to me, his posture was slightly hunched and he seemed unsure whether I would welcome him.

"Did we scare you?" Tank asked me.

"No," I told him truthfully. They weren't the problem. My fear of the potential for this was the problem. They had done nothing to earn my distrust. Tank especially had been very cautious about my feelings. I was scared mostly of myself and my own desires. A secondary fear of the bad things that could happen also bothered me. Were the potential rewards worth the risk to my heart?

While I was following that path of thought, Ranger had seated himself beside me on his couch. Tank still stood near me, looking down at his feet, as though waiting for a verdict he knew would be bad. I didn't like seeing him that way. I reached up and took his hand.

"I don't know what you want to hear," I told him when he met my eyes. "I wouldn't try to get between you and Ranger. I'm more afraid of myself than of you. I like you and want you around. I just don't know whether I'm strong enough to leap at the chance to have both of you as mine."

"You don't have to leap, Babe," Ranger said.

"One step at a time," Tank said.

"Baby steps if you want," Ranger agreed.

Do you want to try?" Tank asked. I must have hesitated too long because Tank continued, "In your ideal future, could you see us all together?"

I could see it easily. I could picture sleeping sandwiched between them, sharing ice cream with Tank, having one of them at my back when I went after skips, little touches and looks as we worked together in the office.

"Tell us what you want Stephanie," Ranger said. Hearing my whole first name from him made me realize just how serious he was about this.

"You said you don't do relationships," I reminded Ranger.

"It paints a target on your back," Ranger admitted. "Lots of people would like to use you to hurt me."

"And none of us have a life that lends itself to relationships," Tank added. I frowned, remembering the last time Ranger had told me that, but Tank didn't stop there. "Lots of danger and things regular people never have to deal with. Stalkers. Ranger being sent on missions. The real possibility of injury or death for any of us as part of our jobs. A relationship with only two people would be hard. Three adds more potential difficulties."

Ranger frowned. "There are benefits too though," he protested. "And all the work will be well worth it."

"Didn't you tell me once that you won't share?" I challenged Ranger.

"Babe. I won't share you with Morelli. And I would strongly prefer it to be just the three of us."

A tap on the door announced Ella's entrance with dinner. We kept the chat to current work things over dinner. Tank's redecorating job. The takedown planned for tonight. Some of the things the clients had told me. Light and easy.

As we finished, Ranger asked, "Where are you sleeping tonight?"

"Here?" I asked him, suddenly unsure of my welcome.

"I'd appreciate that, Babe. Here or Tank's condo."

"I'm not ready to sleep with Tank yet," I protested, "That's not a baby step."

"You slept with me the night before last and yesterday afternoon," Tank reminded me. "Did you feel uncomfortable with that?"

"No...but that just happened. It wasn't planned."

"Do you regret it?" Ranger asked, looking unhappy. Tank had slammed his blank face down.

"That's not what I meant!" I protested loudly, desperate to undo my previous poorly chosen sentence.

"What did you mean?" Ranger pressed when I didn't continue immediately.

"Sleeping with you both like that in my bed felt amazingly safe and right."

"So what's the problem?"

"Only one of you will actually sleep if we go there. And if we stay together here or at Tank's, everyone in the control room will know and think I'm a slut. You heard the message this morning from my mother."

"Babe."

"Do you want to hide?" Tank asked, joining the conversation again, though his face was still blank.

"I can deal with the people in the Burg because I don't actually care what they think. And mom will adjust, eventually. She's never happy with me anyway. But I do care what the merry men think. And...uh. ..won't that be chaos around here if they think I'm a slut?"

"The men won't treat you any differently. Other than the the core team, I doubt they'd be brave enough to even comment." Ranger's voice was dark.

"Trust us," Tank urged. "We'll take care of any potential poor reactions here at Rangeman. Mostly, the guys will be jealous of me but they won't actually say anything."

"Do they know about you two?" I wondered.

"Define 'know'?" Tank asked.

"It's not discussed. But they're trained to be observant and many of them, especially the ones you have the most contact with, have known us for a long time." Ranger explained. "It's more of an open secret. Only someone very new would be surprised at the three of us sleeping in the same place."

"And the rest will explain or silence them," Tank added.

"Do you want to all sleep together again? Even if I'm only okay with sleeping?" I asked them.

Their immediately chorused "yes!" didn't leave me any room for doubt about what they preferred so I continued, "where is better then?"

"Wherever you're most comfortable," Ranger replied.

"Here is probably better tonight," Tank added. "The takedown could run late and Ranger is scheduled for early gym and then corporate meeting crap tomorrow. My place is just extra drive time."

"Okay," I agreed. "I'll stay here and see you both after the take down. What about dinner tomorrow?" I asked, not really wanting to discuss it but hoping they'd both go to support me. Tank raised an eyebrow. So I explained briefly about an old college friend being in town and wanting them both there with me.

"What aren't you telling me?" Tank asked.

"It's a really long story. Rain check for tomorrow morning?"

Tank glanced at his watch and then met Ranger's eyes. Ranger gave a tiny nod. They both stood up, stacking their empty dishes neatly. I watched as they geared up, adding bulletproof vests and more guns. Then they each gave me a light kiss and were gone, leaving me alone in Ranger's apartment.

I popped ghostbusters in the DVD player and stretched out on the couch, trying to put my worry for both of them on the take down and the potential relationship disaster to the side. I took up residence firmly in denial land and decided to believe that everything would be okay.


	14. Chapter 14

_Standard disclaimer: The characters and world are not mine. I'm playing in Janet Evanovich's world, with her characters and not making any money._

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When the men came back from their takedown, they were both pretty well exhausted. It was past midnight and the skip had given them trouble. Tank had a line of stitches on his forearm. The skip had been damn good with his knife. Ranger's ribs felt like he had been kicked by a horse. Ranger had been able to dance back from the incoming kick, lessening the impact so his ribs were only bruised and not broken.

They found Stephanie asleep on the couch. Ranger showered first and then picked up Stephanie to undress her and put her to bed with him. His ribs protested but not too loudly. The sound of Tank in the shower lulled Ranger to sleep. Tank stood by the bed, watching Ranger and Stephanie sleep for a few minutes. Stephanie was on her back with Ranger beside her, laying on his side with an arm thrown across her. They were pretty much in the middle of the bed and he wasn't sure whether to climb into the bed on his side or hers. He finally drew back the covers and climbed into the bed on Stephanie's side, knowing Ranger's alarm would be going off in only a few hours. He was careful not to wake them as he mirrored Ranger's position on the opposite side of Stephanie. Ranger had left Stephanie in only her panties to sleep. He had grabbed a pair of boxers to sleep in from his efficiency on four but

The alarm was screaming at them all too soon. Ranger rolled over to shut it off and then rolled back to them. Stephanie had only murmured and unintelligible sleepy protest before rolling on her side to snuggle into Tank's chest. Tank's arm wrapped around her, keeping both of them on their sides and close together. Stephanie's leg threaded between his, locking them together even more. Ranger did not want to get out of bed this morning. He spooned behind Stephanie, pressing his morning wood into her ass and wrapping his arm around both Stephanie and Tank. He looked into Tank's eyes over Stephanie's sleeping form and worried that in trying to cling to them both if he would drive them all irrevocably apart. It could be very good or very bad. He had to be willing to risk that it might go bad to have the chance at the outcome he wanted most.

Tank disentangled his arm from between Stephanie and Ranger's bodies and reached out to rub Ranger's forehead where a line had formed between his friend's eyebrows. "It might not be an easy road," he told Ranger. "But I think it will work out eventually."

"I hope so," Ranger replied before dragging himself out of bed and getting dressed for the gym. Tank closed his eyes again, determined to catch a bit more sleep.

A little while later, his eyes popped back open as Ranger got back from his workout and re-entered the bedroom. It was still far too early to wake Stephanie but he really wanted to see her awake before he left. Tank started to get up but in the light filtering in from the living room, he gave a hand signal for Tank to stay where he was. Ranger stepped into the bathroom, not bothering to close the door and took a fast shower.

When he was done, he climbed back in bed with them. Tank raised an eyebrow in question. He knew Ranger had a morning meeting at the New York office and needed to be ready and waiting when the helicopter arrived to get him. "Just for a minute," Ranger told him, pressing his face into Stephanie's hair. The arm Tank had around Stephanie lifted up and included Ranger in the cuddle, rubbing light circles on his skin. Then Tank gave one last squeeze, careful not to put too much pressure on Stephanie sandwiched between them, before he let Ranger go. Ranger got up and dressed and leaned over the bed to claim a quick kiss from Tank before leaving.

Tank heard the sound of the helicopter landing for the briefest moment on the roof just above them. Stephanie stirred and he soothed her, whispering that everything was okay. She grumbled and pressed her face closer to him. Even she couldn't sleep through the sound of the small corporate helicopter landing above them though and as the helicopter retreated, her eyes opened.

"What was that?" she asked.

"Ranger's ride," Tank explained. "He'll be back in a few hours to handle client meetings here but he has to handle New York first. There's a really big client who wants to meet the owner before they sign paperwork."

Stephanie nodded and Tank felt the movement against his chest. A moment later, he felt her muscles tense in preparation to pull away and he tightened his hold on her.

"Let me go," she demanded.

"What's wrong?" he asked, though he already had guessed at the answer. She had woken up enough to notice that they were pressed together bare skin against bare skin and it had unnerved her.

"Why am I naked?" she asked, voice rising in anger.

"Ranger undressed you for bed," Tank replied, keeping his voice quiet. "Nothing happened. Nothing's going to happen."

"Ranger undressed me and left me naked in bed with you," she clarified, testing the idea. Surprised to realize that Ranger must be really truly comfortable with her getting close to Tank if he was encouraging this.

"Do you want to stay here and sleep more or are you ready to get up for breakfast and tell me about this dinner we're going to tonight?"

Stephanie fought a nasty internal battle between the part that wanted to run and the part that wanted to stay right where she was. "What if I wanted something to happen?" she asked.

"You'd regret it later and I don't want that," Tank told her. "Give us some time."

Despite the early hour, Stephanie's mind was alert and she was ready to be awake. She had fallen asleep fairly early in her DVD and not woken up when they put her to bed so she had enjoyed plenty of sleep, dreaming of them. "Can we stay here while I tell you about Nick?"

Tank smiled and kissed the tip of her nose. "We can stay here as long as you want."

Stephanie tilted her head up to look at his face and see the absolute sincerity of that. He would hold her for as long as she wanted and let her go, only reluctantly when she insisted. Stephanie suspected that applied in more general terms, not just here and now. Then she ducked her head down so she didn't have to see his face and in a slightly muffled voice, told him about her history with Nick and Aaron. Talking about it was something she hadn't done with anyone before Ranger yesterday because she was afraid of their reactions. She hadn't even told Mary Lou about it. It was easier to talk to Tank now that she'd gotten it out once by telling Ranger.

When she was done telling him about their past and their current mostly friendly but very distant relationship, she looked up at Tank's face. "I don't know whether to thank them for helping you be more open to this kind of experience and then setting you loose for Ranger and me to find or whether to kick their asses for hurting you back then," Tank admitted.

"There's more," Stephanie warned.

Tank kissed the top of her head. "More that explains why we're meeting them for dinner out of town?"

"Yeah." Stephanie told him about their request for an egg donation and that she was leaning towards an answer of "no" on that.

"What did Ranger think about that?" Tank wondered.

"We haven't really discussed it," Stephanie replied. "He wouldn't have to do anything so it's not really about him."

"It's about you and we love you," Tank protested. "I'll support you in whatever you decide and Ranger probably will too but he has some experience with his kid being raised by someone else and knowing there's a mini you fathered by someone else out there running around will probably bother him a great deal. It's will be your decision but you should at least give him a chance to voice his objections if you're thinking about saying yes."

Stephanie shrugged. "I want to hear them out tonight. Ask them some questions. Maybe ask for more time to think. I won't say yes without talking to you two about it more but I really don't think it's something I'd be comfortable doing."

Stephanie's stomach grumbled and Tank laughed. "Ready to have me call Ella while you shower?" he asked.

She agreed to that plan and waited for Tank to get up and leave the room. He stayed in bed, reaching for the bedside phone to call Ella. She didn't want to slide out from under the covers and be mostly naked in front of him but there didn't seem to be much choice so while he was distracted, she made a run for the bathroom.

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**A/N - Last chapter was your weekend chapter. This one is the one I had planned for today. Next chapter, probably Thursday or Friday.**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N - I am still not really happy with the restaurant scene and I rewrote the thing three times. I tried with a lot of dialogue that I couldn't get to sound right and I tried in a more glossed over way. Ultimately, I'm not satisfied but I'm not sure what to do to make it better. I'd appreciate any constructive advice. **

_Standard disclaimer: The characters and world are not mine. I'm playing in Janet Evanovich's world, with her characters and not making any money._

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(Stephanie POV)

I looked at myself in the bathroom mirror. I was wearing only the tiny panties I had worn yesterday and crazy hair. I couldn't believe that I had woken up mostly naked with Tank. I wasn't really comfortable with sleeping naked or wandering around naked at all. I jumped in the shower in the hopes of taming my hair.

While I was in the shower, the bathroom door opened and closed. As soon as it closed, I looked out from behind the shower curtain and noted that I was still alone in the bathroom. A small pile of clothes sat on the vanity. Tank taking care of me. Good thing I hadn't shouted at him when he opened the door or pulled him in here with me. Once I was finished showering and drying, I picked up the clothes to dress. Tank had brought me one of my Rangeman uniforms. Guess I was working for them today but I needed to check in at Vinnie's too in case there were any skips for me.

Ella was just dropping off breakfast when I arrived. There was a stack of french toast, a bottle of real maple syrup, a pile of bacon, and small bowls of strawberries. I was surprised that Tank had the same thing that I did. Ranger chose healthier options and I had just assumed that all of the Merry Men preferred to eat that way. Tank ate the healthy stuff in the break room but I guess here in the privacy of Ranger's apartment, he felt free to indulge in what he would prefer to eat. We both dug into Ella's amazing cooking with enthusiasm. I could picture Ranger at the same table with us, a healthier breakfast in front of him and an indulgent look on his face.

"What are your plans for today?" Tank asked when I sat back from my plate, munching on a final slice of bacon.

"I need to check in to see if I have any skips and round them up."

"Can I convince you to take some time this morning to finish scheduling those system checks?"

I squirmed, wanting to avoid the guys in the control room. "Well, you'll be in your office. Maybe I could work from up here?"

He studied me for a few heartbeats and then shook his head. "It won't get easier if you avoid them," he told me. "Do you want to do the calls first or skips?"

"Calls," I told him.

"How about I have Brett grab your skips when he picks up Rangeman's? You can work in Ranger's office until he gets back and then head out for skips."

"You're sure I can't work from up here?" I asked, hating that I sounded so scared.

"You can work from up here," Tank replied. "If you really want to. But I really think it will help you to just go down there and get it over with. Then you'll see that there's nothing to be afraid of."

"Are you sure?"

Tank stood and held out a huge hand to me. "Let's go. It will be okay sweetheart."

"Gonna tell me about those stitches?" I asked him. I hadn't noticed them while he was eating but with his hand held out, I couldn't miss them.

"Skilled skip," he replied, dismissing the injury as unimportant. I couldn't be so blase about an injury to him. All I could think about was that he could have been shot instead. I knew already that he wouldn't appreciate any fussing over him. This was part of his job and the possibility of him and Ranger getting hurt was just something I had to live with. Just like they had to live with the possibility of me getting hurt. I realized for the first time how hard it must have been for Joe to see me in danger and coming home injured. I had never worried about his work but most cops rarely actually have to shoot anyone. The Rangeman guys were working on a different level. I just had to believe that they were better than anyone they would be up against, even if it wasn't true.

I put my hand in his and let him help me stand and give me a hug. He kissed my forehead and then his eyes fastened on my lips. I tilted my head, giving him easier access if I was going to claim a kiss. He didn't and I was disappointed.

Tank didn't touch me again after we stepped out of the apartment. The way he looked at me was different than before he and Ranger had come to my apartment a few nights ago. His body language was oriented more towards me. He was standing slightly closer too, but not closer than one of the merry men that I was more friendly with would stand. He seemed mostly professional. I tried to be grateful for the smoke screen of distance and his blank face to keep the merry men at bay but I found that I missed the closeness from upstairs.

Tank nodded a silent greeting to the men in the control room and went directly to Ranger's office. He unlocked the door with a key and sat in Ranger's chair to start up the computer. I lingered a bit in the control room, exchanging greetings and light banter with the merry men on duty like I usually did. When I made it to the office, Tank was standing up.

"I pulled up the same things you were working with yesterday afternoon," he told me. "I really appreciate this. Client calls are my least favorite thing."

"No problem," I replied.

"I'll be in my office if you need me"

I nodded that I understood and made myself comfortable at Ranger's desk. I was finishing up the last call when the door of the office opened and Ranger entered. He gave me the 200 watt grin when he saw me in his chair. He came to give me a quick kiss.

"As much as I'd like to let you stay, the accountant will be here to torture me in about 5 minutes," he told me. "Tank has your skips."

"Okay. I'll go see him then."

I knocked lightly on Tank's door and then opened it, the way Ranger usually entered Tank's domain. Tank looked up from his computer with his blank face on but his eyes smiled when he saw that it was me entering.

"Ranger says you have my files," I told him, crossing the room to stand in front of his desk. He handed three to me and I looked over them. They all had at least a week or ten days before they were due so I decided to go upstairs to nap before I got ready for dinner. I thanked Tank and then went up to seven.

I was standing in my bra and underwear, with my hair and makeup already done, digging in the closet for something acceptable to wear when Ranger entered. He showered and I was still standing in the closet when he got out.

"Problem?" he asked. I nodded and he picked out an outfit that looked like a cross between corporate office business wear and high class call girl. I frowned at it for a moment but since he was dressing as corporate Ranger, I decided to go along with it. Aaron and Nick were sort of distantly friendly with me but they weren't really friends anymore. Then we were getting in the elevator before I could change my mind and pick different clothes. Ranger scrambled the cameras in the elevator and wrapped his arms around me, my back to his front. The elevator doors opened on the fourth floor and Tank joined us. I was stunned for a moment when I saw him in a suit. Ranger reached out to straighten his tie.

"You look great," I told him.

"Not my favorite thing," he replied, "But I'll do anything for you."

There was a quick game of Rock, Paper, Scissors in the garage that ended with us all climbing into the front bench seat of Tank's pickup truck. Tank was driving. I ended up in the middle because I'm the shortest. It felt nice to be there between them. Ranger kept his arm over my shoulders and Tank would occasionally reach down to let his hand rest on my knee.

I saw Nick and Aaron in front of the restaurant when we arrived, standing very close and not paying attention to anyone but each other. Ranger and Tank got out of the Cayenne but I sat frozen until Tank drew me across the driver's seat to get out of his door. Ranger had circled the truck and reached past Tank to take my hand. "You okay, Babe?" Ranger asked.

"We don't have to do this," Tank said.

"I'd rather shoot them than have dinner with them," Ranger agreed.

"If anyone gets to shoot them, it will be me," I responded, a flicker of a smile on my face. Ranger and Tank both drew their guns and offered them to me. That surprised a laugh out of me and their mood seemed to lighten when I laughed.

Tank threw an arm over my shoulders as we crossed the parking lot. Ranger scanned the lot for threats and seemed more on edge than Tank. I had seen them do something similar before. It used to be that Ranger was the only one focused on touching and taking care of me and Tank was watching our backs. Now it seemed like they would be taking turns.

We stopped in front of Nick and Aaron and I made the introductions. Aaron was trying to be polite and friendly but I could see that both of them were intimidated by Ranger and Tank. My guys were both stony faced, practically radiating menace, even though their words were polite enough.

Conversation throughout dinner was stilted. I picked at my food, barely tasting it, and told them a little about becoming a bounty hunter. Ranger and Tank seemed determined not to divulge personal details about themselves but that wasn't really anything new. They weren't very good sharers and there was a good reason for their caution. They kept leveling death glares at the other two men and seemed barely contained. Nick talked about his counseling practice and Aaron told us about his current work schedule allowing him to work from home three days a week. With that new flexibility and the house they had bought at the beginning of the year, they were ready to start a family. This was the part I wasn't looking forward to hearing about but I had agreed to hear them out before giving an answer, so I did.

They talked about international adoption and the few countries that would allow gay couples to adopt. There would be issues of cultural barriers and they'd get a toddler probably or a young child, not a baby. There could be severe emotional or medical needs. Foster care to adoption domestically had similar issues, though the culture gap would be less. Plus they could have a child in their home that they had put everything into loving and the child could end up going to a relative or back to the abusive parent. I could imagine just how hard that would be. Domestic infant adoption was actually pretty expensive and there was no way to be sure the mother had been taking care of herself and baby and not done any drugs or anything that could have long term negative effects. In addition, they didn't like the idea that their happiness would be bought at the cost of someone's pain; they'd have a baby but a whole other family would be out there missing that same baby.

Which led them to surrogacy, a baby created just for them and part of one of them genetically and carried by a healthy woman who would do her best to have a healthy safe pregnancy.. They found an agency and went through profiles and screening and had already picked an experienced gestational carrier to carry the baby or babies. They didn't really agree on anyone other than me as a potential egg donor. They wanted someone they liked and admired. I rolled my eyes at the transparent flattery but they continued anyway. Noting that I was a little on the older side for an egg donor but it would be alright if it was soon. They were both older than me by over a year and many of the people they socialized with were their age or older. In addition, while they wanted to be able to point to me as the genetic donor and be in contact so I could know the child a bit and the child wouldn't ever have to wonder, they did not want the egg donor to be "living in our back pocket" and preferred a donor who lived farther away. Those things had led them to asking me.

By the time they were finished, I could hear a low, almost subsonic growl from Tank's direction. Both of them were tensed up, as if they were only breaths away from leaping over the table and strangling Nick before he could play on my sympathy for the difficulty gay couples had in forming a family. I began to doubt Nick's intelligence because he was still talking about how I would be the best choice, completely ignoring the men who would cheerfully kick his ass for putting me on the spot like this.

Aaron was obviously more aware than Nick of the undercurrents because he laid a hand on his partner's shoulder to get him to stop talking. "I think that's enough," he told Nick quietly. Aaron held his hand out across the table towards me and I took it warily. Aaron only squeezed my hand gently and gazed into my eyes for a moment before letting me go. Ranger growled the whole time and Tank shifted in his seat. I looked at them, wishing I had the ESP to tell them to let me handle it. That I was feeling strong enough to handle it was because they were there to support me; I didn't need them to do it for me.

"We would really like for you to do this but if not, it's okay. We'll just use an anonymous donor from the clinic pool." I pushed my dessert away after only a single bite. My appetite was gone. I just wanted to get out of here and never see these two again.

"I really don't think I can do it," I told Aaron. "I know donating wouldn't make me any less fertile in the long run. I'm much more afraid of the short term increased fertility from the donation. The potential side effects are really scary though. And I really dislike doctors and the medical stuff. I couldn't give myself daily shots and go for appointments every day to monitor me. I'm sorry."

Nick opened his mouth to protest but Aaron cut him off. "We understand. Our part in this is the easiest. Just pay for things and give them bodily fluid samples on request. If you change your mind in the next few weeks, let us know." Aaron handed the dinner check for everyone to Nick and Nick took it up to the front to pay. "Even if you don't want to donate for us, you should come up to Boston and see the house we bought. It's in this amazing gated community. And you'll recognize some of the neighbors from school." Then Aaron stood and followed Nick out of the restaurant.

"You okay, Babe?" Ranger asked me. I poked my dessert and shook my head.

"I want to go home," I told him. "I need to be alone for a while."

"Stephanie," Tank rumbled in a low growly voice, making me look at him. "How about we go back to my place? You can soak in my big tub and we'll leave you in peace but we'll still be there if you need us."

"Okay," I agreed in a small voice, and they led me from the restaurant sandwiched between them.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N** - Yes, I'm okay. Thank you to those who were concerned...and sorry to those I annoyed by the significant delay until this update. The day after my last update, a new addition hopped into my life, a red eyed white flemish giant doe (pics on facebook). As of Wednesday April 10th, she will be 12 weeks old and I have been spending my time convincing her to use the litter box and in general scrambling around trying to get things bunny-proofed. My older rabbit doesn't get into near as much trouble. :-) My hope is that I can get back to a regular writing schedule now, though this isn't the only project I'm a little behind on.

**A/N 2** - There's an alternate ending of this chapter for the people on the Naughty List. If I have your email, check your email. If I gave you the google docs links by PM, you will find the outtake in the outttake google doc or the chapter as originally written in the posted chapters file. Anyone who is not yet on the naughtly list, feel free to PM me (or catch me on a messenger, my contact list is in my profile) your email and I'll be happy to add you. Remember to put spaces in or the PM system deletes them.

**A/N 3** - If there's an experienced AO3 user here who would be willing to answer a few questions to help me post this story including the MA bits there, I would really appreciate any help you could give.

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_Standard disclaimer: The characters and world are not mine. I'm playing in Janet Evanovich's world, with her characters and not making any money._

* * *

Stephanie sat between them, curled up against Ranger for the drive to Tank's place but once they were out of the truck in the garage, she held herself apart from them both. Tank held firmly to his blank face. Ranger wore a slight frown. He was glad that she had refused to do the egg donation but the contact with the two men from her past seemed to have locked her within herself for the moment.

They led her to Tank's huge master bathroom. Tank filled the deep whirlpool tub for her. Ranger poured her a glass of wine. They left her there, at her insistence that she wanted to be alone and went into the bedroom, leaving the bathroom door cracked, not quite the whole way closed. She didn't object. Tank flopped onto the top of his bed, fully clothed with his shoes hanging off of the edge. Ranger sat beside him, slumped in defeat.

"Why do you think this is hitting her so hard?" one asked in a soft voice.

The other replied in the same low even tone, "I think she loved the insensitive asshole. Maybe loved both of them. The breakup and watching them be together and staying reasonably friendly must have been hard on her, but she was coping. Then this and suddenly it suddenly seems like they don't really care about her, only what she can do for them. She's probably wondering if they ever really cared about her and maintaining contact or if it was always leading up to this request."

"She would have been angry with me if I had pulled the trigger on Nick yesterday. I wanted to. It would have been easy and that was before their request."

"She's got a big heart. She still cares, even though it hurts her sometimes."

"She cares about us too though. Why worry about them and their bullshit?"

"She's easy to love because she opens herself up to it. She wouldn't be Stephanie if she could harden her heart easily. It wasn't simple for her to refuse them."

"How can she refuse to give us a chance then, if she cares about us...?"

"She hasn't said the words but look at the actions. She is giving us a chance. And everyone in the burg will tear her apart about it as soon as they figure it out."

"Those two didn't say anything to her about us and we were pretty obvious about the relationship."

"They were focused on their lives and what they want from her. I'm not sure they care about her relationship status. And neither of them are from the burg. They may know people in similar relationships so it's less of a shock."

"They'll go back home and she'll never have to see them again. The hurt they represent will have a chance to fade again."

"So what do we do now?"

"We wait for her to come out and come to us. We give her what we can. Show her that we'll always be here for her. And we hope for the best."

They heard the water run in the bathtub as Stephanie added more hot water. Ranger poked his head in the bathroom and offered her another glass of wine, which she accepted with red eyes and shaking hands. He wanted to stay but she shooed him back out, still wanting to be alone.

Tank had kicked off his shoes and lay down on the bed, starting a movie on his iPad. He was willing to let Stephanie alone with her thoughts in the bathroom but not willing to go very far away when she was so obviously hurting. Ranger took off his shoes too and stretched out beside Tank, close enough to see the movie.

Stephanie could hear some of the louder movie scenes and the occasional murmur of their voices discussing something, though she couldn't make out any words. It was comforting in a lot of ways to have them both there and still giving her some privacy for her own thoughts. Joe had always been either right there, clinging and demanding attention or extremely distant. These two both were willing to give her more space and the thought of a commitment to them wasn't near as frightening. By the time the third fill of the tub was growing cold, she finally felt like her thoughts were in order. She was ready to face them, leave the past in the past, and felt strong enough to give the three of them a try, for real. The thought of the censure she might face from the people in the burg, from her parents, even potentially the merry men, was overwhelming but she knew that they'd face it together.

She watched the tub water swirl down the drain for long minutes until she was cold. After climbing out and drying off on the fresh towel Tank had left, she looked at the clothes she had worn out for dinner, not wanting to get dressed in them. There was a robe hanging on the back of the door. It was soft and fuzzy. She put it on, rolled up the sleeves, and wrapped the belt twice around her to hold it closed. Tank's robe was far too large for her. She felt a little silly but she also felt safe so she opened the bathroom door the rest of the way.

Ranger and Tank had been settled closely together to watch the movie on the iPad and they instinctively jerked apart when they heard the door open. There had been many long years of hiding. Despite trying to open up and let Stephanie in, hiding was their default still. Stephanie frowned as they pulled apart. She had liked seeing them together. They tried to cover the movement by patting the covers between them to invite her to join them but it didn't wipe the frown off of her face.

"Steph?" Tank prompted.

"You guys love each other?" she asked. Ranger raised an eyebrow, trying to decipher what had caused that particular comment so he could figure out the best way to respond. She didn't seem jealous, more puzzled.

"Yes, we do," Tank answered before Ranger could be sure what response Stephanie was looking for.

"Would you like it if I pulled away from you every time someone might see us together because I was afraid of their reactions to us?" she pressed.

"No," Tank responded promptly.

Ranger could see where this was headed though and didn't like it at all. "That's different, Babe. Our reps keep us safe a lot of the time. If we let others see us in a way they would interpret as weak, the rep wouldn't hold up. We'd have to prove it over and over again."

Stephanie shrugged. That explanation might hold up about their public contact and she had to admit they were pretty careful about that. Here in Tank's apartment should be different though. Were they still worried that she would be upset seeing them together? That kiss yesterday had been really hot. Of course, she had run out of the room when it was over. Maybe they did have a reason to still be cautious about her reactions. It saddened her. "I like seeing you together," she told them after a long pause.

She fussed with the robe until she was sure she could climb onto the bed without flashing them and then lay down beside Ranger, giving him a little nudge towards Tank. They cuddled back together again, Ranger's head on the pillow near Tank's shoulder, his arm across Tank's stomach and Stephanie's breasts pressed against Ranger's back, her arm over his waist and resting on Tank. He wasn't relaxed though. Stephanie could feel the tense muscles in Ranger's back. She ran a hand through his hair and kissed his neck lightly.

"Babe?" Ranger asked.

Tank laid the iPad on the night table and then turned on his side facing them, propping his head on his arm. He shifted closer, his chest to Ranger's chest, his free arm around both of them. Tank kissed Stephanie lightly and then pulled back until she met his eyes. "Talk to us, Bombshell," Tank urged.

"I want to give this, us, a try," she told them. "But I want to be sure I'm not always between you. For there to be an us, it really has to be us. Not just me and Ranger and me and you or all of us together. There has to be a you and Ranger too. I have to be okay with that. Don't hide from me. Please."

"It's habit, Steph," Tank tried to explain. "We're used to hiding."

"Then you can help me learn to hide us so everyone won't tear me apart?"

"If you want to do that, we'll do it," Ranger said but he was frowning. He didn't want to hide his relationship with her.

"Not really," she admitted. "I'm just scared. Like you're scared of what will happen if people see you and Tank. I'll brave them if you will."

"You're going to get us shot," Ranger complained, but his lips quirked in an almost smile.

Tank's smile was wider. "We'll just have to shoot faster and be mean enough to scare them off. It will be fun to add to our rep when the rumors start to fly and prove ourselves even more dangerous than ever."

"I don't know how to move forward from here," she admitted.

"You want each pair of us to have an individual relationship in addition to all three of us, right?" Ranger asked thoughtfully. That sentiment reassured him. Carrie had never wanted the men to have a relationship not including her. She got jealous and that was what had eventually fueled her desire to tear them apart. Stephanie sounded secure enough to battle the pull of jealousy if it came.

Stephanie nodded. She liked the idea of all of them together in abstract but she also didn't want to keep them from having a relationship of their own or to feel bad if she spent some one on one time with one of them.

"Maybe we could plan date nights?" Ranger suggested. "Some all together and for each pair."

"Would happen anyway," Tank added. "None of us really have nine to five schedules. My boss can be a real slave driver."

Ranger tried to frown but couldn't completely hide the amusement in his eyes. "Can't give you special treatment, can I?"

"Bombshell gets special treatment."

"I do?"

"From all of us," Ranger confirmed. Stephanie buried her face in Ranger's back. Tank ran his fingers through her hair. When he got caught and tugged slightly, she looked up again to meet his eyes.

"Does that work for you? Scheduling dates with us together and Individually? Baby steps right?"

Stephanie nodded. "Yeah. Baby steps," she agreed.

"And you'll tell us if there's something that bothers you or something else you prefer, right?" Tank pressed.

Stephanie flushed bright red. "Can I sleep here with you two tonight?"

"Of course, Babe."

Tank slipped into the bathroom to change into a pair of sweatpants. As much as he disliked sleeping in clothes, naked was too much of a temptation now. Soon, he promised himself. When he emerged, he saw that Ranger had borrowed a pair of sweatpants and pulled the drawstring tight. Stephanie was swimming in one of Tanks t-shirts. They settled themselves together on the bed with Stephanie in the middle, holding his iPad. She picked a movie and pressed play.


	17. Chapter 17

Naughty List - check your emails or visit drive . google . com in the "Shared with me" section, you'll see a folder "Unbreakable Bonds for NL" and that has this chapter in it now.

Yahoo groups people - I'll post the complete chapters seventeen and eighteen together, probably some time tomorrow.

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_Standard disclaimer: The characters and world are not mine. I'm playing in Janet Evanovich's world, with her characters and not making any money._

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(Stephanie POV)

I woke up alone in Tank's bed. First stop was the bathroom of course. While I finished the necessary things, I noticed a familiar duffel bag on the floor. One of them had made a run to my apartment or maybe Ranger's apartment and brought me clothes and my hair stuff. I dressed and tamed my hair even as my stomach growled a protest about the delay.

I found Ranger running on the treadmill in what looked like a mini-gym. The small room was completely taken up by a treadmill, a rowing machine, and some sort of huge multiple exercises weight machine. "Tank got you donuts for breakfast, Babe," Ranger told me. "Check the kitchen." There was hot coffee and Tasty Pastry donuts but Tank wasn't anywhere in the condo. I poked around a little bit and found cereal and milk to round out my breakfast. I mindlessly flipped through the morning news programs as I ate.

When Ranger emerged from Tank's bedroom after finishing his workout and showering, he was dressed in the gear he wore when he was on the streets. He was ready to take on anything and I knew I'd have to leave the sanctuary of this apartment. Here last night, anything we wanted to happen with the three of us seemed possible. Out there, I knew there would be people with opinions and comments, trying to tear us down or apart. I could only hope we would find a little bit of support somewhere.

On the way to Haywood, we discussed the date night plans. Today I would work at Rangeman, doing searches for them. Tonight I would have some alone time with Ranger and we agreed to have time in his apartment together rather than going out. He offered to answer any non-classified question that I asked him if we stayed in away from prying ears and I couldn't resist the possibilities.. Tank was already working today and would be late but wanted to take me out tomorrow. Then the two men would have some time together Saturday night. Sunday, both he and Tank planned to be offline and they hoped we could all spend it together. I agreed willingly to that plan.

Ranger kept an arm around my waist possessively as we rode up to the control room. Then we stood together, my back to his front as he looked over the monitoring screens and listened to reports of the men on duty. It was a little more contact than usual but not so much that any of the merry men looked twice at us. They knew I was his and some public displays were pretty much expected even though Ranger was usually a very private person.

They were clearly stunned into silent staring though when Tank emerged from his office and hugged both of us. It was a very brief contact of the three of us before Ranger released me and I melted into Tank's arms. "Thanks for the donuts," I told him. He kissed me lightly on the forehead and then turned his attention to the merry men. He handed out FTA files and gave a few assignments to the guys. Then grabbed Binkie as a partner for himself and was gone.

Ranger got in a discussion with one of the men on monitors and I excused myself to the break room to grab a drink. It was just past shift change so some of the last shift's men were there eating before heading home or out on personal business. Most of them were only vaguely familiar to me so I only gave them a finger wave and fished a bottle of water out of the refrigerator.

As I took my first sip, Lester entered, threw an arm over my shoulders, and gave me a big grin. "What do I have to do to apply for the harem?" he asked.

I almost choked before managing to swallow and return the teasing. "I don't think you have impressive enough qualifications," I replied, glancing at his groin to emphasize the insult.

He winced. "You sure do know how to hit below the belt, Beautiful."

"It's not like that, you know?" I asked Lester in a low voice, turning serious. "They love me."

"They're very lucky," Lester told me, voice as soft as mine..

"I'd like to get lucky with you, Bombshell," one of the more recent hires that I didn't know well commented over our soft conversation.

Someone I didn't even recognize grabbed his groin and added, "I bet my qualifications are impressive enough."

Before I realized what was happening, the break room was filled with male locker room conversation and they were discussing me as if I wasn't there or even really a person to them, just an object of lust. Lester joined them, not noticing the look on my face or my tears.

"Enough," Ranger's cold voice cut into the conversation. "I'll see all of you in the gym in 5."

"Santos started it," a sullen voice muttered as they filed out but I couldn't identify the speaker. Ranger looked like he was about to explode but I couldn't keep from laughing. They acted like kids that had been caught acting up and knew that now dad would use the belt on them. My tears dried up at that image and my hormones gave a half-hearted cheer when I pictured Tank giving Ranger that kind of correction.

Ranger crushed me to him in a tight hug. "I'll take care of this, Babe," he assured me through his tightly clenched jaw. He completely missed the humor in the situation and I wasn't sure I could explain it to him so I just nodded my agreement and watched him stride from the break room before I took the rest of my water bottle back to my cubicle with me.

I had a huge pile of searches and my iPod to listen to music while the computer worked. If the merry men in the neighboring cubicles were talking about me, I didn't want to know. I definitely didn't want to think about what was happening downstairs with Ranger and Lester in the gym. Luckily, my inbox was full of searches that needed to be complete and digging for information soon occupied all of my attention.

Someone tapped me on the shoulder and I gasped. When would I learn to be more aware of my surroundings? Lester was standing stiffly in my cubicle. There was some swelling on the side of his face and some butterfly strips near his hairline held together skin that had been split open. There were bruises forming on his arms. I took out my headphones and jumped up to give him a hug. He flinched a little at the contact.

"Any major damage that I can't see?" I asked him.

He shook his head but kept his arms around me lightly. "Nothing major at all beautiful. He was pretty gentle on me. I deserved much worse."

"I'm sorry," I told him. I hated that Lester had gotten hurt because of me.

"I should be the one apologizing," he corrected me. "What I said...You know it was all in fun, right? I didn't mean..." he trailed off and started again. "What can I do to make it up to you?"

"Ranger and Tank are going to be busy Saturday night," I told him. "If the girls and I go out dancing, will you play designated driver?"

"You still trust me to watch your back, even though I'm an asshole?" Lester asked.

"Always," I assured him. His arms tightened around me for a moment. Then he asked me to let me know what time to pick everyone up and slipped away. I hoped he was going up to his apartment to rest and recuperate.

I started another search running and then while the computer worked, I called the girls separately. Telling them I'd give them all the details of what had been going on with me over some drinks Saturday night. We sorted out the details and I sent a text to Lester with the information. Then I tried to concentrate on finishing my searches.

I was just shutting down my computer when Ranger leaned against the wall of my cubicle. "Ready to go babe?" I nodded and he took my hand. I noticed as we walked to the elevator that he made a point of meeting every man's eyes with a hard look. They tried to look busy and uninterested in us. The atmosphere was tense, almost toxic. The men who previously were friendly with me were among the silent tense ones. I wasn't happy about that. I suspected that I would have to figure out a way to convince Ranger and Tank to let me handle them. If they kept getting their asses kicked on the mats every time they joked with me or made a comment, I would lose the friendships I had previously been forming with the merry men.

We had dinner at the dining room table on seven. Ella had gone all out. As promised, Ranger answered every personal question I asked him. It was a little bit fun to see him squirm about sharing some tales from his childhood. I was careful to avoid any question that might make him respond that it was a classified subject. I was afraid that if it happened, it would stop the sharing. My life had always been an open book and now I was getting a peek inside of him that I didn't want to stop. Eventually though, dinner was finished and my questions ran down.

We moved to the couch and I turned on the TV, flipping channels until something interested me, an episode of True Blood. We mostly ignored it, snuggling on the couch, touching and kissing until Ranger's cell phone rang. He glanced at the screen and sent it to voicemail. A few minutes later, it interrupted us again and he answered the call. Whatever they were saying must have pissed him off. He tensed and pulled away from me. Then he stood and paced in swift angry strides. Finally, mouth in a grim line, he nodded. "I'll be down in a few minutes to handle it," he told the caller.

"Problem?" I asked, concerned.

"Apparently one of the new hires and one of the more established men have a long standing issue that we didn't turn up in our background check. They ran into each other for the first time this shift and it turned nasty. I need to go handle it."

"Want me to come?" I offered.

"Better that you're out of the range of fire so I can concentrate on those two idiots. It won't take long," he assured me, even as he tucked his discarded weapons back into their hiding places on his body and in his clothing. I wanted to argue but I could see how close he was to the edge and figured that he didn't need me splitting his focus. With the way things were between us now, I could see how a disgruntled employee could chose me as a weapon to use against him.

"I'm going to go take a bath while you're down there then," I said, arching my back and stretching my arms over my head. The comment earned me a smoldering look and he paused for a long moment as if deciding if he really needed to go downstairs. The work crisis won.

Its not often that I take baths, mainly because of the size of my little tub and the crappy water heater in my apartment. Ranger's tub here was meant to be enjoyed. A bath had helped so much last night at Tank's place and I couldn't see a single reason not to indulge in it a bit here while Ranger sorted out whatever was happening down on five. I closed the bedroom door but left the bathroom door open as I leaned over the bathtub and began to draw the water. I stripped off my clothes and sat on the edge of the tub, adding bubbles to my water and lighting candles. I silently thanked Ella. She must have put these things up here for me. They're definitely not things I could picture Ranger using.

I turned off the lights, pulled my hair back, and slid into the tub. The water and bubbles reached almost to my neck. I leaned back against the tub, breathing a soft, content sigh. The only light was the light of the few candles I'd lit. It was relaxing and I soon found myself closing my eyes and beginning to drift in and out of sleep. The slam of the apartment door followed quickly by the sound of the bedroom door opening jolted my eyes open. I met the hard gaze of Ranger standing fully dressed and armed, looking down at me. I looked him up and down a few times, noting the straining erection trapped behind the fabric of his pants. I gazed up at his eyes and watched whatever had pissed him off before fade into lust.

"Can I help you?" I asked. Ranger shifted, staring at me. I lowered my voice into what Lula would call phone sex operator tones, "...Is there something you need?"

He looked at me, shaking his head and stepping forward a little. He pulled off his clothes and weapons, letting them fall to the floor. He stepped forward to the tub, and climbed in opposite of me. My eyes met his but I couldn't fully read what was there. He reached forward and took my hand, pulling me to him, so my back was against his chest. I loved feeling his hands and mouth on me, rough and tender at the same time. And I loved that I could, eventually, make him lose control of himself for a brief time.

Then he was back in control and he helped me to stand on shaky legs. He kissed the back of my neck as he reached down, took a washcloth and wiped my back and ass clean, with a surprising tenderness. He stepped out of the tub, wrapped a towel around his waist, and then helped me out, wrapped a towel around me, his hand flat on my back, and made me walk on shaky legs. He laid me down on the bed and climbed on top of me.

"Ric...What are yo-"

He silenced me with a kiss, his hand running to my breast and squeezed it gently. He pulled back, brushing his lips to mine.

"We're not done yet. Not even close."

The next round was slower, more tender. I fell asleep in his arms after, listening to him tell me how much he loved me.

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**A/N - Eighteen is ready to post. I'll post it when I hit 325 reviews.**


	18. Chapter 18

Naughty List - You've had this chapter available for a while. See my instructions last chapter if you don't remember how to get to it.

Yahoo groups people - It will be posted in the usual places tomorrow.

Those of you who are happy without the smut, my goal is for this story to make perfect sense without it so don't worry.

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_Standard disclaimer: The characters and world are not mine. I'm playing in Janet Evanovich's world, with her characters and not making any money._

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(Stephanie POV)

I woke to the sound of the shower running. When I glanced at the clock and saw that it was just after six, I put my head under the pillows. My bladder was complaining of being overly full and the sound of the shower wasn't helping. It seemed to go on and on, much longer than the usual length of one of Ranger's showers. There was a loud thud and the muffled sound of cursing from the bathroom. I wondered why it sounded like two voices cursing.

I dragged myself out of bed and tapped on the door of the bathroom. "You okay?" I asked.

"We're fine," Ranger replied. We? Holy hot flashes. Tank must be in the bathroom with him. My hormones went wild picturing what they could be doing in there together but my bladder's complaints were louder and more urgent. Hormones were overruled. I wondered if I should go down to Tank's efficiency on four to use the bathroom. Maybe his key would be in the dish in the kitchen here?

"I really have to go," I admitted to them. "You going to be done soon?"

"Feel free to come in," Tank told me. "Door's unlocked."

Even if they were behind the opaque shower curtain and couldn't see me, there was no way I was comfortable enough to use the toilet while they were in the room. Part of me really wanted to go in just to see what they were doing but I flopped back down on the bed instead. They didn't make me wait long. When the two emerged, clad in towels and still slightly damp, I rushed past them into the bathroom.

Breakfast was excellent, as usual. I love Ella. We talked easily about plans for the day. Ranger had Corporate Ranger things to do during the day. There were contract signings with some new clients and interviews with potential new hires. Tank was sitting in on the new hire interviews in the morning but suggested that he and I grab a late lunch and then spend a little time together. Ranger had some free time between contract stuff and his evening surveillance and hopefully take down but suggested that Tank and I go alone so we didn't have to rush for his schedule. There was a little tightness around his eyes and through his shoulders when he made that suggestion and I was worried about that but agreed anyway. I wasn't sure what exactly was bothering him and wished my ESP was fully functioning. Ranger insisted that I take a fleet explorer to borrow today since I hadn't yet been car shopping.

I went to the bonds office while they did corporate stuff. I had to fend off questions from Connie and Lula about my relationship with Ranger and the pictures still circulating of Ranger, Tank, and I together. Connie was almost blase about it. The family was purely traditional relationships on the surface but mistresses were not uncommon and she didn't see any reason it couldn't work the other way. Lula's questions and prying were less about the potential relationship and more about the sex. She didn't believe me when I insisted there wasn't yet sex with all three of us and I kept needing to cut her off before she could give me detailed tips on enjoying two men at once. I was bright red when I left the bonds office; Lula wasn't embarrassed to talk about anything. We finalized the plans to go out dancing the following night and I made my escape.

I managed to stay clean while I talked a few easy skips into a ride to the station to be rebonded and met Tank back at Haywood at two in the afternoon. The rear seats of his truck were folded up and an umbrella, a blanket, and a large backpack style picnic basket were wedged back there.

"Where are we going?" I asked him.

"Beach?" he offered.

"That's a long drive," I replied. "I'm hungry now."

He leaned into the back to dig in the picnic basket. He emerged with a container of cut up fruit, a quart container of mixed berries, and a plastic container of cool whip. "I can't find the forks," he admitted.

"I don't need them," I replied.

On the drive to the beach, I munched on the fruit by hand. I dipped a piece in the cool whip then ate it, moaning at the flavor combination and justifying to myself that it was fruit so it was good for me too. Then I fed a piece the same way to Tank who licked and nipped at my fingers playfully. His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly and were white knuckled by the time we finished the fruit. I loved seeing him hold onto his control by such a tiny thread. Ranger had told me once that I had all of the power over him but now I was seeing it with Tank. Fun.

I wasn't really hungry by the time we got to Point Pleasant so we wandered some shops for a while. We didn't really buy anything, just talked about our past memories of this place and what had changed. He was always touching me in some way and I was very aware of his strong male presence the whole time. I was surprised, again, by how much Tank could talk when he was opening up and willing to share. Being with him was amazingly easy and fun.

The picnic on the beach ended up being more dinner than lunch and it was fairly quiet there then since most of the families had packed up to go home or out for dinner. We were in our own little world anyway. Feeding each other bits of food and flirting heavily. I was positive my panties were ruined and only the part of me that remembered we were on a public beach kept the touches to over the clothes and the kisses light. Eventually we packed up the picnic things and put them back in the truck. We decided to take a final walk along the beach before driving back.

Tank held my hand as we walked along the beach, the talking and laughing earlier had given way to easy silence as we enjoyed walking in the damp sand with the waves lapping at our toes. The sun was setting as we neared a jumble of rocks, marking the end of this section of beach and stopped to look out over the ocean. He put an arm around my shoulders and guided me to a mostly dry rock, sitting there and pulling me into his lap. Then to my surprise, he fished a phone out of his pocket and stretched out his arm to take a picture of us together.

"Can you send me that?" I asked him.

"Sure," he agreed easily. "How are you feeling about this, about us, now?"

I looked up at his face, letting my lips graze his neck in a light kiss. "I feel like I'm getting to know you a lot more. That makes this seem more possible than when you were just..." I trailed off, uncertain of how to frame that thought without offending or hurting him.

"Ranger's shadow?" Tank suggested with a slight smile to let me know that the perception didn't bother him. "People underestimating me, seeing me as only an extension of Ranger or as muscle without brains is useful to me," he explained. "Gives me an edge. But I want you to know me."

He tilted his head down towards me, kissing me lightly on the lips and I lost track of the conversation. Tank was always so gentle with me, caring and tender. With Ranger, he was rougher and he switched between being the perfect second in command on the street to in charge, dominant, in private. He pulled back while I still wanted to continue the kiss. He did that a lot and I was beginning to think it was his way of remaining in control and applying pressure. He wanted me to ask or maybe beg for more when I was ready for more than he was giving.

I hadn't seen or felt him reaching into my purse but he was holding my cell phone in his hand. "You could call Ranger and check in with him, let him know when you'll be back so he can stop at your apartment to see you," he suggested.

"Why?" I asked, willing but confused as I reached for my phone.

"He's human, Bombshell. Us out together without him is probably hard for him. He loves it when the three of us are together or when he can watch me with you. He enjoys his time alone with you, just like I do. But us being out together, both of us excluding him, is an awful lot like you going back to Morelli. He won't admit to jealousy. And it's his emotional stuff that he has to deal with. But we can help a little to let him know that even though we're getting closer, we still think about him."

"We didn't call you last night," I said. "Are you hurt?"

"Not so much. I've had a long time to get used to the idea of you two as a couple. And Ranger called me once you were asleep to let me know that you were both still safe on seven at Haywood and invite me to breakfast this morning."

"He remembered to include you."

"He's good about that and he wants this to work. This will just be the hardest part of it for him. And you may find tomorrow night that it isn't easy to be the one sitting at home."

"I'm going out dancing with the girls," I admitted. "Not sitting home."

"Good," Tank replied. "That will help."

"Lester is going to act as designated driver as his apology for what he said yesterday in the break room."

"Even better. I appreciate you taking your safety seriously. Be gentle with him. He's on restricted duty for medical reasons at the moment."

"He seemed fine yesterday," I replied, confused. Tank looked out over the ocean and didn't reply for a moment.

"Another less gentle attitude adjustment this morning," he admitted finally. "Santos doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut so it happens a lot but this time we were really clear." After a pause to see if I had a reply, he redirected me back to the original discussion. "You could have him bring you to my place when you're ready to go home. Then you could touch base with us before bed."

"What if I interrupt something?" I asked. Please let me interrupt something, I wished. I really loved to see the two of them touching. Catching them doing more would make my day.

Tank gave me a deeper kiss than before. "You'd enjoy watching," he told me confidently. "Or you could join us."

I felt my face flush red in embarrassment, wondering if I had spoken my thoughts about that aloud. Then I dialed Ranger quickly before we could continue on that line of conversation.

"Yo"

"Yo yourself. How's the surveillance going?"

"Worse than usual," Ranger admitted. His usual zone had been hard to find all day and he had spent the last hour trying not to snarl at Binkie every time the boy reached for a snack or tried to talk. Binkie's surveillance habits were similar to Stephanie's but it bothered him a whole lot less when she did it. "Everything okay, Babe?"

"It was a fun day," I told him. "Tank has pictures that I'm sure he'll show you."

Tank took the phone and pressed speaker so we could all talk. "I'm taking care of her, Ric. I should have her home within an hour or 90 minutes."

"Not spending the night at the beach, Babe?"

"I don't know," I replied, uncertain.

"I didn't want to push," Tank told Ranger. "She hasn't slept in her own bed all week."

"What if I don't want to sleep in my bed alone?" I asked, slapping a hand over my mouth when I realized I had voiced the thought out loud.

"I could come out there when this is done," Ranger offered, trying not to sound too eager. "Meet you both at the safe house there."

"Makes more sense for us to come back to Trenton," Tank objected.

"Why don't you go home with Tank, Babe?" Ranger suggested. "I can slip in and sleep with you after we're done here, even if it's late."

"Okay," I agreed, trying not to sound nervous. I wasn't alone in bed with Tank much. All of us together was easier because I was still afraid of sex with all of us and I knew it would be just sleeping when we were all together. With Tank alone though, the temptation might be too much. He'd teased me all day, leaving me wanting more. Would we have time for a moment alone before Ranger got to the condo? And if we did, would Ranger be mad at us?

"We'll see you later, Ric," Tank told him. Then the line went dead as Ranger hung up the phone. Tank had almost said goodbye but Ranger still needed to work on his phone manners. Tank dropped the phone back into my purse and we walked back along the beach towards where he had parked his truck.

On the way back to Trenton, I slept with my head in his lap and my legs curled up on the seat. When he woke me in the parking garage of his building, his erection was pressed against my head and his eyes were dark. "You're lucky we got back here in one piece," he told me. I flushed but before I could stammer out an apology, he grinned. "I enjoyed the distraction," he assured me.

I wandered out to the kitchen to get a drink and when I came back, his clothes were all in a pile on the floor. "Is this a good idea?" I asked. "It didn't work out so well last time we tried to sleep naked."

"No matter what you're wearing or not wearing, it will never go farther than you want it to," he assured me, voice serious.

I had no reason to doubt him and I liked the feeling of his skin against mine. "Are we going to have to get up to get dressed when Ranger gets here because we can't be good?" I asked him as I started to slowly undress.

"It will be good, Bombshell," Tank replied in a voice an octave deeper than usual. "Promise."

"I have no doubt about whether it will be good," I told him. "But can we behave?"

"Tell me where the limit is and I won't cross it," he assured me.

"No penetration?" I suggested, thinking of teenage making out but trying to keep my virginity. Tank nodded that he understood. His face was serious but his eyes were wavering between amusement and lust and that something else I occasionally glimpsed in his face when he looked at Ranger with his guard down. He lifted the covers with his arm and I crawled into the bed. No penetration still left a lot of room for some sexual fun. I focused completely on touching and tasting Tank, completely ignoring my surroundings for a long while.

"Babe," Ranger said. He was standing right beside the bed, fully dressed and eyes black with lust. I hadn't noticed him entering the room. He leaned towards me and kissed me deeply, not seeming to mind the taste of Tank in my mouth. He pulled me to him, deepening the kiss, and I could feel his cock straining to escape his cargo pants. Part of me was gearing up for round two but another part in the back of my head was screaming silently in panic. I wasn't ready for this step.

Before I could get too upset though, Tank said Ranger's name in a firm voice. Ranger pulled back and looked into my eyes for a moment. I was grateful for the reprieve but I wondered what he saw there.

"You're right," he agreed with Tank. "I'm going to hop in the shower," he told me, helping me cuddle up beside Tank and pulling the covers over the two of us. Tank held me close, kissing the top of my head gently. I was asleep before Ranger made it back to the bed.

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**Next Chapter will probably be Tuesday.**


	19. Chapter 19

This is already late so I'm posting it here but...

**Naughty List** - the NL copy of this chapter is not yet finished but there is a bonus scene from Ranger and Tank in the shower in 18 available to you (plus bits from chapter 20 in progress) _drive . google folderview?id=0B5Ptlxlcfpt2dVlmRW9rMXR4Rjg&usp=sharing_

Log in with the email you gave me for Naughty List stuff and you'll see it.

**Yahoo Groups** - this chapter will post when the naughty list part is done but you also have the bonus scene available in "Plum Fan Fiction" "Plum Fan Fiction Restricted" and "IllyandAnni"

**AO3 - **I'm still figuring it out but I think I get it. I'll post the whole story there at once when it's finished.

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Standard disclaimer: The characters and world are not mine. I'm playing in Janet Evanovich's world, with her characters and not making any money.

* * *

(Stephanie POV)

I woke up sandwiched between Ranger and Tank. I was hot and I desperately had to use the bathroom but when I tried to move, they both tightened their hold on me. "Let me up," I told them in a normal tone of voice, thinking that would be enough to wake them up the rest of the way. I squirmed in their hold but there was no way I could get free of the Stephanie sandwich. When neither of them released me, I drove my elbow back into Tank's ribs. "Let go," I repeated, slightly louder. Tank murmured a protest but he moved his arm and lifted Ranger's arm slightly off me as well. I climbed out from between them and darted to the bathroom.

When I came out, they had rearranged themselves, cuddling together. The covers had been pushed down to their waists. Tank was on his back, Ranger sleeping with his head on Tank's chest in the same special spot that I would normally choose as a pillow, his arm and leg thrown across Tank. He seemed to have drifted back to sleep. Tank held him and stroked his back. When I sat on the corner of the bed, he kissed the top of Ranger's head and then looked up to study my face.

"You okay with this?" he asked.

"You look great together," I told him. "Like you belong that way."

"How are you feeling about things now?" he pressed me.

"I don't want to leave. I really think this might work out with all of us. I know I have to go though. You two have your time together today, right?"

"We'll sleep in a bit, partner at work today, and then do dinner at here," Tank explained. "What are your plans?"

"Shopping with Lula, a nap this afternoon, and then dancing tonight with Lester as a chaperone."

"If you go after skips, would you please grab Binkie from Rangeman? Or call him if you need anything."

"What's with all of us grabbing Binkie as backup now?"

"You like him, right?"

"Sure. He's really nice. Just quiet sometimes. And young."

"Don't discount his skills because of his age or the stupid nickname. Binkie is really skilled and we figured you'd be comfortable with him. He tends to be more respectful than a lot of the men and awkward around women so he probably won't press you for the gory details."

"And?" I pressed, sure there was more to this than just picking a Rangeman that I liked to work with. They were taking him occasionally as a partner too. He heard what Ranger said about coming here last night, though I guessed we were being open about that stuff now anyway after the hug in the control room."

"Three isn't a good working team. Four is better."

"Wait," I squeaked, hating the panic rising in my belly and the slightly higher pitch of my voice. Ranger had changed things on me once to make us three. "Four for what?"

"Working," Tank told me firmly. "He won't touch you. Better not even suggest it." His voice was dark and there was something in it that I never heard when he was discussing me with Ranger. Protectiveness or jealousy. The sound of it calmed me down. This would be just us. He was continuing to explain, "Pairs usually work best or two pairs for skip chasing. So no one has to go alone. The three of us will probably shift around for that sort of thing. Sometimes one of us will be with you and the other with Binkie. When Ranger and I are together though, Binkie is yours if you need him. And you can always call us as backup if you prefer...but try him at least."

"I'll think about it," I told.

"Ranger wants you to take his Cayenne today. You can leave it at Rangeman and get a ride back to your apartment when you get ready to go out tonight." I nodded my acceptance of that recommendation, dressed reluctantly, and gave Tank a final kiss before leaving them alone. Part of me wanted to stay but another part felt good about going, knowing they'd be together.

Later that evening:

I was finished with my shower and had just pulled on my dress for dancing when I heard the sound of my locks being picked and the door opening. Lester was dressed in a cross between clubwear and fully armed Rangeman badass. He gave me a once over and a nod. No comments, which worried me. Other than the healing small cut on his face, he didn't appear visibly injured but I knew him fairly well and he was holding himself more carefully than his usual boneless casualness. There was tightness in his face too. Pain that his blank face couldn't quite mask and the blank face was all wrong on him. I approached him and gave him a careful hug. He barely touched me.

"You sure you're up for this?" I asked him.

He didn't take the golden verbal opportunity I offered. I worried a bit about what they had done to him. This wasn't the Lester I was used to."Talk to me?"

"I'm sorry, Beautiful."

"You're mad at me?" I asked, grasping for an explanation.

"No," he corrected. "I'm mad at me. I shouldn't have opened you up for the other guys to attack."

"That did suck," I admitted. "But there's no one but us here now. Maybe you could just be more careful when we have an audience?"

"You going to be okay out tonight?"

"I'm just a bit bruised up and Binkie is meeting us there to be backup if we need it."

"You realize this is drinking and dancing, not a job, right?"

"It's never a bad idea to have backup," he replied, tone serious. Then he dropped the blank face to grin at me. "Even Ranger needs backup with you."

"Maybe it's me that needs backup with Ranger."

"Tank has always been at Ranger's back." Lester met my eyes for a long moment. "In more ways than most of the employees realized. Looks like that secret is coming out now."

"Maybe it's just time," I offered.

"They're happy," he told me. Then he seemed to switch mental gears. "You ready to go?"

When I nodded that I was ready, Lester threw an arm across my shoulders to lead me downstairs. I snagged the overnight bag I had packed and he tugged at it, indicating his willingness to carry it. I pulled back. I could carry my own bag. It was light and friendly, the way he usually was with me. It lacked the sexual awareness and intensity that I had with Ranger and Tank but that was a good thing. It was hard enough to feel that way with two men. The lack of that with Lester reassured me a little bit that I wasn't turning into a slut.

We picked up Mary Lou on the way to the club. There was a line at the door but we didn't need to wait in it. Lester led us straight to the front door and exchanged nods with the bouncer who stepped aside to let us pass. "You picked one of the clubs that Rangeman does security on," Lester told me. "Good choice."

"Connie picked it," I replied, looking around until I spotted her, Lula, and Binkie at a table on the balcony.

Before they could quiz me too much about me and Ranger and Tank, I dragged them onto the dance floor. Binkie lingered at the table but Lester joined us. I couldn't dance forever though. I definitely needed to work on my endurance.

"You gonna tell us about you and Batman and Tankie?" Lula asked. I didn't like her referring to Tank as Tankie. She had been doing it on and off while they were dating and after but now, it grated on my nerves. Mine. I didn't say anything though. I felt bad enough for dating someone that she had dated.

"Pictures of the three of you are all over the burg," Mary Lou told me. "There are pictures but no one seems to know for sure. Which one are you dating?"

"Both," I replied before turning to Lester, "I need shots for this."

"I'll get them beautiful," Lester assured me. When he returned, he was carrying a tray like a waitress completely full of shot glasses, none the same.

I was running out of evasive answers to give the girls so I reached for a shot and drank it in a gulp. Then reached for a second. They backed off, their questions to do a shot each and I joined them, bringing my total to three. They let me go for a bit, Lula telling us about her current fling, Hal from Rangeman, with enough detail to have Binkie blushing a bright red. I had a false sense of security for a bit but I was wrong. They were just waiting for the alcohol to do it's work.

Lula turned to me eventually. "Now it's your turn. Spill white girl."

"And we want details," Connie added.

"I think I love them," I replied, the room was spinning slightly but I reached for another shot for courage.

"Both of them?" Mary Lou squeaked.

"Yup. They make me feel so good."

"Aren't they jealous?" Mary Lou asked. "Lenny would freak out if I spent any time at all with another man."

"They seem to know how to handle it," I replied.

"They wouldn't with someone other than them," Lester interjected.

"Good," I replied. Were they jealous around Nick and Aaron, I wondered, or just protective of me? I would have to see how they reacted. That could be fun.

"Focus girl," Lula demanded. "How are they in bed?"

"Separately, they're fantastic," I told Lula.

"Don't tell me they're disappointing together?" Connie asked. "Sometimes with threesomes someone gets left out. That sucks."

"I haven't been with both together," I admitted.

"That's not what I heard," Binkie interrupted. "Ranger went to sleep with you and Tank last night."

The girls all shrieked and began talking at once. "We've been sleeping all together but not all having sex together," I insisted.

"So you're really dating both of them," Mary Lou asked.

"Yes," I confirmed.

"What do I tell people?" she wanted to know.

"Yeah, rumors are flying all over the place," Connie said. "Some have you turning into a slut and sleeping with all of the Rangeman men."

"I would never consider that," I protested, going bright red.

Lester put an arm across my shoulders to offer comfort but couldn't resist teasing me, "I think I'm hurt, Beautiful. You'd never even consider me?"

"That's probably not going to help the rumors," Mary Lou pointed out. "Probably you should stay hands off her in public."

Binkie looked confused but Lester released me fast, as if I had burned him. "Damage control?" Connie asked again, bringing my fuzzy focus back to her.

"Stick with the truth," I offered. "They don't want to be hidden. I'm with both of them, exclusively, not the merry men at all."

I stood, tired of the interrogation, and the room spun around me. I was a cheap drunk and I had no idea what had been in those shots. They had been good, very little alcohol taste but that didn't necessarily mean very little alcohol and they had been big shot glasses. Binkie caught me until I could get my balance, touching me only minimally. He had been paying attention to Mary Lou's suggestion to Lester.

"Ladies, I think it may be time to call it a night," Binkie announced. They agreed. Hal was waiting in the parking lot. I wondered if he had been waiting the whole time as backup for the men inside or whether someone had sent him a text that we were wrapping up the night. Then the thought flew from my head as Lester helped me into the Explorer he had driven. Connie climbed into the back.

"Mary Lou?" I asked Lester.

"Binkie is taking her home," he reassured me. Binkie was a good guy. I leaned my head back against the seat, just going to close my eyes for a moment, and fell asleep.

"Beautiful?" Lester asked me. "Can you wake up now?"

"I'm awake," I assured him, opening my eyes. They were dry and my vision was a little fuzzy. My head hurt slightly. "Where are we?" I asked, looking around us. We could have been in any parking garage in Trenton, though most weren't so full this late at night. I squinted at the clock in the dashboard, well, early morning.

Lester came around and helped me get out of the passenger seat. He had my overnight backpack slung casually over his shoulder.. My balance was still uncertain. I was less drunk than I had been but still tipsy. He wrapped an arm around me and led me to the elevator.

"Tank's place, right?" he asked me. "Did you bring the key and code?"

I fished in the pocket of the overnight bag, holding the keys up triumphantly when I found them. "Code?" he asked me.

"Nope," I replied. "Didn't want to lose it so I memorized it."

"And do you actually remember it?" he asked as the elevator climbed to Tank's floor.

I thought hard and finally had to admit, "Nope."

Lester cursed but it seemed more from habit than real annoyance. He pulled out his phone and called the control room as we went down the hallway. "Tank back yet?" he asked someone. Then he knocked on the door. We both listened carefully but the condos were well sound proofed and Tank didn't come to the door. "I'm going to let us in, Victor. Kill the alarm and then reset it once she's in." He listened for a moment. "They'll be fine. Thanks man." Then he hung up the phone.

Lester unlocked the door, pushed it in, gestured for me to enter and then handed me the bag. I could hear sounds coming from the bedroom now that the door was open. I looked down the hall. Tank's bedroom door was open and there were shadows moving on the wall. Lester stayed outside the apartment but he had to hear it too. My mouth was dry. I was suddenly in a hurry for him to be gone. He gave me my key back and reminded me, "You need to call the control room or have one of them let you out to leave. Don't forget." I nodded and stepped back so he could pull the door closed.


	20. Chapter 20

There is no **Naughty List** version for this chapter. It's all here.

* * *

_Standard disclaimer: The characters and world are not mine. I'm playing in Janet Evanovich's world, with her characters and not making any money._

* * *

(Stephanie POV)

My head was pounding when I woke up and I was draped over someone in the bed. Ranger. Tank was draped over Ranger too. Memory of last night slammed into the forefront of my mind. I had walked in on Ranger and Tank in the middle of them having sex and I had masturbated in front of them. Then, in my alcohol haze, it had made sense. The hormones had taken over but now, remembering, I felt my face flame red.

I slipped out of bed and into the bathroom. Once I was in there, I wanted to stay there, hiding. I reached for Tank's robe but when I lifted it up, there was a smaller robe on the hook underneath it. The smaller robe was the same style, long and fuzzy but it looked more like it was cut for a woman. I tried it on and it fit well through the shoulders and was the right length. I tied it tightly closed, hugging my arms around myself for courage. Then I crept back into the bedroom, hoping to find my clothes and be gone.

There were several stains on the top cover where Ranger had cum on the bed. There was no sign of the toys I had seen or the toy trunk. I checked the living room for my overnight bag but it wasn't there. Maybe I had taken it to the bedroom? I couldn't remember. Every step jolted up my spine and intensified the pain in my head. The sunlight streaming through the windows didn't help either.

I found cans of coke in the refrigerator. It wasn't the whole cure but maybe part of it would be enough to help some. I took a can of coke with me back to the bedroom. The men were still laying on the bed but there was a tenseness in their bodies now. I didn't think they were sleeping anymore. I looked around the room for my overnight bag or even the dress from last night. If they could pretend to sleep, I could pretend not to notice they were awake. None of it was in sight so I tried the closet door. It wouldn't open. Who locks a closet door?

"You going to try to sneak out?" Tank asked.

"It's tempting," I replied. "But someone hid my clothes and phone."

There was a flicker of sadness on Tank's face before his blank face crashed down. Ranger had changed positions. His Face was hidden in the pillow. Tank clutched him against his chest like Ranger was his favorite teddy bear.

"I wanted to know if you left," Tank told me. "I'll get your stuff if you want to go. It's your choice."

"Come back to bed,Babe." Ranger's voice was slightly muffled by the pillow but understandable. "Please."

I hugged the robe tighter around me, fighting old ingrained rules for my behavior. Those rules were other people's rules and I didn't want to live by them. I wanted to fly. They were silent, watching my internal struggle but letting it be my decision. Finally I sat on the edge of the bed.

"Want some headache pills?" Tank offered. I just nodded. Watching him walk over to the closet absorbed all of my attention. He was completely not bothered by his nudity. I didn't see where he took the closet door key from but it opened for him. He pulled put a med kit identical to the one in all of the range man fleet vehicles. Opened several bottles and then offered me three pills and a small squishy packet. The two little brown pills were headache pills and the third was a multi vitamin. I swallowed them before studying the packet. It claimed to be a cherry flavor recovery gel.

"Its for after heavy exertion, especially in heat," Tank explained. "Does wonders for a hangover too."

"Does it taste bad?" I asked.

"Yes," Ranger told me. "But it works really well."

I tore open the top and squeezed it into my mouth, swallowing it quickly. "Yuck. Are you mad at me for coming home drunk?"

"Only if you're going to run," Ranger replied.

"If I were mad, I wouldn't have given you the recovery stuff," Tank protested. "You'll feel well enough to leave us in half an hour."

He took the empty packet and soda can from me and put them on the bedside table. Then he sat beside me. "I'm sorry I didn't notice how intoxicated you were sooner. We wouldn't have taken advantage of you like that."

"I wanted it as much as you," I protested. I clenched my hands together in my lap, trying to stop their shaking.

"Do you regret it?" Tank pushed.

"No," I replied instantly.

"Then why were you trying to run?"

"Can we not talk about this now? My head hurts."

Tank's lips twitched slightly down but he said, " Sure Steph," and stood me up. He lifted the covers for me to crawl in next to Ranger and slid the robe from my shoulders. His hand rested briefly on my naked ass, one finger running along the crease, and I couldn't stop the flinch. Being touched there didn't have pleasant associations for me.

We cuddled all together again. I was surprised that those two were lingering in bed for a second morning in a row. They were talking, making plans for our day, but my head hurt too much still to focus. I trusted them to plan something fun. The safety and comfort of their voices and arms around me nudged me back to dreamland.

I woke the second time to the smell of bacon and coffee. Ranger was setting up trays with breakfast on the bed.

"We thought we'd go out of town today if that's alright with you," Tank told me. "Let us enjoy ourselves without you looking over your shoulder and worrying who will see."

"Sounds fine," I agreed.

"I didn't know if you had a passport and using an emergency one for this didn't seem necessary so we decided to stay in country unless you really want to leave."

I almost choked on my eggs. "In the US is fine," I managed to reply. Ranger's lips tilted slightly up at the corners. Tank looked like he was trying not to laugh. "So where are we going?" I asked, trying for casual.

"Airport," Ranger replied. "Then New York. A surprise and a little adventure in the afternoon, then dinner with entertainment we think you'll enjoy."

"Why are we flying?" I wished I could fly like a superhero but I wasn't especially fond of planes. I always worried about the landing.

"You'll get to the ground safely," Ranger assured me. "I'll take care of you."

"You're flying the plane?"

"Nope. A friend of mine is."

Tank interrupted my thoughts as I tried to puzzle that out by continuing our itinerary. "Then after dinner and the entertainment, we'll fly back here. Well, to the helipad on Rangeman's roof, unless you'd rather spend the night in New York."

"Work tomorrow," I replied, certain I wouldn't want to get out of bed and start the workweek.

"And our boss can be a real bastard," Tank joked. Ranger grinned.

"All the other employees will want to sleep with me too if you both get special privileges."

"If they were women, they'd all want to already."

"What makes you so sure the men don't? Maybe they're sticking with don't ask, don't tell rules." I wasn't sure what to think about that. I think he was teasing but I wasn't completely sure. If the building was full of men lusting after Ranger, I didn't want to know about it.

I wasn't sure what to think about that. I think he was teasing but I wasn't completely sure. If the building was full of men lusting after Ranger, I didn't want to know about it.

We finished eating and they produced some clothes for me. They weren't the things I had packed and I made a mental note to thank Ella. She had sent a basket of the hair stuff I used at Ranger's too, higher end versions of what I used at my own apartment. I showered and tamed my hair and dressed while the men worked out in Tank's home gym area.

I went over to find them when I was done and found Tank's cock down Ranger's throat. Judging by how good Ranger seemed to be at that, I had a lot still to learn. I licked my lips. I would definitely enjoy the practice. When Tank was done, they decided to shower together.

"Can I watch?" I asked immediately.

"Of course you can watch," Ranger assured me.

"We're just going to get clean," Tank told me. Ranger's erection pressing against his gym shorts didn't go along with that statement. Tank didn't object to me watching though so I followed them into the bathroom, leaving the door open in the hopes that the steam wouldn't turn my hair to frizz city.

They did just shower, though my panties got damp watching them soap each other up. Tank lingered a little longer than strictly necessary washing Ranger's hard body, teasing but stopping shy of enough stimulation for Ranger to cum. I wondered why but wasn't sure if I should ask. The frustration and resignation on Ranger's face was priceless, though he didn't protest. It felt like a little bit of revenge for all of those times he pressed me against the wall of the alley and kissed me until I couldn't think straight before walking away.

A phone rang as the men were getting dressed and Tank fished my cell out of a nightstand and handed it to me. As I took the phone, I accidentally hit the button to accept the call instead of refusing it as I had been refusing most calls for the last week. It was my mother. She immediately began yelling at me so much about the rumors and me not answering that I held the phone away from my head. Ranger laughed silently but Tank looked concerned as he listened to her.

"Mom. Mom!" I shouted, to get her attention when she showed no signs of slowing down or allowing me to defend myself.

"Well there's no need to yell," she told me in her normal phone voice. I moved the phone cautiously towards my ear.

"Yes, I'm dating two men at once."

"Joseph will never take you back now after you acting like a shameless hussy being seen out with so many men," she moaned.

"Good. I don't ever want to go back to Joe. We had both moved on way before this."

"That was just a rough patch, dear. This is serious."

"Yes. Joe was a rough patch in my life. And I'm serious about these two men," I told her, purposely misunderstanding.

"You can't mean that," my mom protested. "You'll get tired of the jealousy and competition soon enough and pick one to settle down with."

"I doubt it. I don't much want to settle down. And I do want to be with both of them."

"Well bring them to dinner then," she sounded resigned but I knew it was just a smoke screen. She was reassessing her tactics and planning to figure out a new attack strategy before she talked to me again.

"We have to go out of town today, mom. We won't be back until late."

"Tomorrow then. 6PM sharp. I'll make you some pineapple upside down cake."

"Mom..." I trailed off, wanting to put this dinner torture off but not sure how to do it.

Ranger was studying my face intently. He nodded slightly when I gave him a pleading look, hoping he would come up with a good excuse. "Say yes," Bomber," Tank told me. "Can't avoid it forever."

"Sure Mom," I said into the phone, defeated. "We'll see you at dinner tomorrow. Be nice to them."

"Of course, Stephanie," she replied in a syrupy sweet voice. I didn't believe her for a moment.

We said our goodbyes and I turned my cell phone off completely, throwing it onto the mussed up bed. I brooded as we finished getting ready to go and headed out of the apartment. I did not want to do dinner with my mother. I would have kept avoiding my family until I didn't have money to eat and had to stop in for dinner if she hadn't trapped me into going.

"Let it go for now," Ranger advised as he helped me climb up into Tank's truck in the garage. "The problem will still be there tomorrow. Nothing you can do about it until then."

"I want your attention to be all on us today," Tank told me. There was a slight edge to his voice, something I couldn't argue with.

I was starting to love Tank's truck. The three of us could sit across the bench seat, all touching. Ranger's clever fingers traced the seam on my jeans from knee to crotch, over and over, pressing slightly every time he passed over my clit. I squirmed slightly, having trouble sitting still. I certainly couldn't worry any more about dinner at my parent's tomorrow or pay any attention to where we were going. Ranger didn't stop teasing me until we pulled up to the security gate of what appeared to be a small non-commercial airfield.

* * *

**A/N - Is Steph excited to jump out of a plane to get to their planned destination or freaked out by that being the start of their adventure?**

The rest of the date day/night next chapter (with lots of smut for the naughty list), probably next week at the rate I'm writing. Chapter after that will be dinner with the Plums and then the end, 'cause I'm bored with this.


	21. Chapter 21

This one is pretty long so I hope you'll forgive me for the delay.

**Warning**: In case it wasn't already clear, this story is a work of FICTION. And while a private club (and probably several clubs) similar to the one they go to does exist, it's not in the location described and none of the details are exact.

**Naughty List** - check google docs

**Yahoo groups** - This should be posted at "IllyandAnni" "Plum Fan Fiction" "Plum Fan Fiction Restricted" and "Perfectly Plum" already in the file sections.

* * *

_Standard disclaimer: The characters and world are not mine. I'm playing in Janet Evanovich's world, with her characters and not making any money._

* * *

Tank flashed some sort of id at the guard and he let us through the gate of the airfield. We drove over to a large metal garage that seemed to be the plane hanger with a propeller plane parked in front of it. Tank parked the truck close to the side of the building. A man emerged from the other side of the aircraft and called a greeting to the men as we climbed out of the truck.

"I'll pack the chutes," Ranger told Tank. "You can run her through the class stuff."

"You're jumping with her. Shouldn't you do the class?" That was as close as I'd ever heard Tank get to questioning something when Ranger used that giving order's tone but my mind was stuck more on the content than the byplay between them.

"Ranger?" I squeaked. "Chutes? Parachutes?"

"Yeah, Babe," he gave me his 200 watt grin. "It will be fun."

"I already did the chutes," one of the men at the plane called to Ranger.

"You know how I am," Ranger replied, an edge in his tone that I didn't hear often. It didn't fit with the confident 'it will be fun' that he'd told me.

One of the men fake coughed and muttered, "control freak." The other man and Tank laughed.

"Come on, bombshell," Tank told me. "We'll just run through what you need to know and these guys will sort out the gear." He put an arm over my shoulders and guided me past them and into the garage. Or was it a hanger since it stored an airplane? "Check mine too please," he called to Ranger.

I was silent as Tank went through the jump information, my mind whirling too fast to focus on any one thought. It was mostly just a formality anyway. I was going to be harnessed to Ranger. He was jumping. I would just be along for the ride. Jumping out of a plane. Landing in the plane was bad enough. Why were they doing this to me? Did they enjoy it? Or maybe it was just an adrenalin buzz seeker thing? Rough sex. Gun fights. Jail. Maybe jumping out of planes fit right in to that. Maybe life was too tame without regular combat and fear.

"I can't do this," I told Tank as it looked like the lecture on the equipment and rules for safe jumps was winding up.

"Yes you can," he assured me. "You said you wanted to fly. This is as close as we can give you today. Ranger won't let anything happen to you."

"It's not safe."

"Chasing skips ain't safe, Bombshell. And while jumping out of planes isn't considered safe or sane by some people, like chasing skips, there are ways to do it more safely."

"Tank..." I trailed off, fear coursing through me but tangling with excitement. I was really going to do this. Going to fly. I was scared and overwhelmed but I didn't think these two would let anything happen to me. Maybe it would be fun. And even if it was scary, I'd get to really fly once and hopefully not break my arm in the process.

"Just breathe," he advised. "Once you're out of the plane, you'll love it."

Ranger came in then with gear and agreed with Tank. "Just breathe, Babe. Go to your happy place." Ranger and I each had harnesses designed to hook us together and a parachute. Tank had a parachute, and backpack that he strapped to his front. No jumpsuits like I had seen in the pictures. Ranger said it was too warm to need them but we each had helmets to carry to use when it was time.

"What's that?" I asked, pointing to Tank's front-pack as curiosity pushed past the fear that had been threatening to overwhelm me.

"Stuff for the rest of the afternoon," Ranger explained.

"Doesn't that like, mess up weight or the jump or something?"

"I'm jumping with you strapped in front of me," Ranger pointed out. "The bag is lighter than you."

"Don't worry," Tank assured me. "When we jumped out of planes as an insertion tactic, we carried heavier packs than this. Uncle Sam trained us for worse things. This is pure fun."

We got into the plane and they introduced me to the pilots. Old friends of theirs apparently. I forgot their names promptly and apologized for it but they just laughed and assured me that it was only natural. Next time, I'd remember them. And they seemed to think there would be a next time. Something about jumping being addictive.

We went up and flew for a while. The drop zone was a piece of private property owned by Bobby, not far outside of New York City. It would have been an easy flight if we could have gone as the crow flies but with the new regulations about New York City airspace, we had to cross through Pennsylvania airspace and then go north, dodging air traffic in and out of the major airport in Philadelphia. I was nervous about the upcoming exit from the plane but knowing we could get off of the plane at any time was strangely reassuring.

When I was hooked to Ranger and the Tank was giving us a final check while one of their friends opened the door, the panic took over again.

"I can't do this," I insisted.

"We are doing this," Ranger told me, tone firm and leaving no wiggle room.

"You'll thank us later," Tank promised.

"No!" I braced my feet but it did me no good. Ranger was stronger. He murmured something in Spanish. Under other circumstances I liked to hear the rise and fall of his Spanish and found it soothing. Now it wasn't having the desired effect.

"Just go!" I heard Tank shout from behind us. And we were airborne. I was too terrified even to scream. For a moment, I couldn't even breathe. Then Ranger, holding my wrists, spread my arms out and I was flying. Fear faded in a rush of adrenalin and excitement. It was amazing. I was reluctant to have it end when Ranger did something to release the parachute. Black. Of course.

I was giddy with relief and excitement and adrenalin when we landed. Ranger got me quickly unhooked from the tandem harness and I spun around to give him a hug and then ran over to Tank to give him a hug too.

"That was amazing!" I said.

Ranger's lips quirked up in an almost smile. Tank laughed and fished into a pocket and handed me a candy bar and a bottle of water. "You'll need these so you don't crash," he told me.

"I'm not hungry," I replied, bouncing on the balls of my feet. "What's next? Can we do it again?"

"Eat anyway," Ranger insisted. He and Tank started removing their harnesses and folding the parachutes and packing them back into their packs and then putting those in Tank's backpack, which was larger than it had looked before.

"We'll pick another day and do a few jumps in a row sometime," Tank told me. "Once you get some practice, you won't have to be harnessed to one of us. And then next full moon, if it's clear, we'll do a night jump."

That sounded awesome so I munched the candy and wandered around the meadow a bit while they packed. I was too buzzed to sit still. The little adventure Ranger had promised was the jump itself. We had a short walk to get to Bobby's house where I got to swim a bit in the pool and then nap in the sun. It was good to have that kind of fun lazy day with them. There was always a slight edge to our play, like it could turn sexual at any moment but it never did. They always pulled back from it and just enjoyed the time with me instead.

Around four, there was a buzz that sounded like a really loud metal detector. They both grabbed guns but didn't look like they were intending to use them, just like it was a precaution. A Rangeman had arrived to whisk us out of the country and to the Rangeman New York building where we'd get ready for our evening out. The three of us got to cuddle in the back seat of the SUV and the Rangeman, Todd, was so silent and focused on his driving that I could forget his presence.

The Rangeman New York building was similar enough to Trenton, including Ranger's penthouse apartment that seemed to even be stocked for me, that I felt instantly at home. We took turns in the shower and I wore what Ranger had picked out for me. Their eyes watched me hungrily as I put on the thigh high stockings and the lingerie that Ranger had chosen. Then I covered it with an obviously well tailored and expensive suit that matched what they were wearing. We looked like business people, except that their suits concealed multiple weapons because they never went out undressed and I even had a tiny gun in a thigh holster tucked under my little skirt.

We took a cab from the Rangeman New York office to a dangerous looking part of the city. I couldn't see many people on the main street but they lurked in alleys. I'm pretty sure I saw at least one drug deal going down and maybe a hooker giving a blow job in an alley. The address Ranger gave the cab driver appeared to be closed and had bricked over windows. The blocks around it were similar, boarded closed buildings and abandoned looking warehouses. The cab driver even warned us that it wasn't a nice area but Tank glared at him and Ranger flashed his gun. I felt bad that they scared him for voicing his concern for us. In the high end suits, we looked like business people headed out to a power lunch, and targets for people wanting the contents of our wallets. After exiting the cab, we walked a few blocks before ducking into an alley.

The alley we went down was dark and if I had been alone or with anyone other than Ranger and Tank, I might have been concerned. Neither of them looked particularly concerned but it was clear they were on high alert. The buildings on either side had graffiti but it was actually pretty, flowers and vines and stuff that made me think of Grandma Mazur's 60's paintings. In the limited light, I could still see that in the day, this alley would be full of color.

Part way down, we passed a dumpster and in the wall on the other side of it was a metal door with a key card swipe and number pad recessed in the wall beside it. There was no handle on the outside or any obvious way to open the door. Ranger pulled a card from his wallet and while Tank kept watch, Ranger swiped the card and punched in a long code. The door popped open a few inches and Ranger put his fingers inside. He pulled the door open to what might be a hallway or a small unlit room. Ranger took my hand and led me into the darkness beyond the door. Tank glanced around one last time before following us in.

The door slammed closed, sounding heavy and final. My heart sped up but Ranger's hand was relaxed in mine. "Breathe, Babe," he advised. I felt the walls closing in on us. Enclosed dark spaces weren't my thing. I had been locked in too many closets and coffins to feel comfortable. Before I could truly panic though, a light came on and a metal door set in the interior wall opened with a click. Sound poured into the room, a loud beat.

A tall model-slender blond woman came through the door, flanked by a man that looked like one of the Merry Men. Ex-military, definitely. He held himself alert like a bodyguard at least, like he was alert to any threat and ready to spring into action to protect the woman. He wore leather pants and boots without a shirt. There were wide leather cuffs on his wrists and a matching collar on his neck. The bodyguard exchanged fist bumps with Ranger and Tank. The woman nodded politely enough to them.

"Ric," the woman said. "It's been a long time."

"Am I still welcome?" he asked.

The woman shrugged. "Of course. Your membership fees keep getting paid. Are you going to introduce me to your guest?"

"You've met Pierre, right?" Ranger asked, gesturing to Tank.

"He's been gone longer than you," she observed.

Ranger continued, "And this is our Stephanie."

"Both of yours?" the woman asked. I couldn't read any surprise in her voice, only wanting to be clear on who exactly I belonged to.

"Both of ours," Tank confirmed.

"Babe, this is..." Ranger trailed off, as if not knowing what name to call her by.

"They call me Astarte or Star, here now," she told us. "Some goddess or another of sexuality. A marketing ploy mostly."

"Oh?" I asked, finding my voice and then losing it again. This was really strange. She looked a little like a goddess if a goddess looked like some sort of dominatrix. Leather skirt, slit up the sides to reveal that she was wearing thigh high leather boots. Legs that went on for miles. Blond hair that was nearly as curly as mine but her curls were all behaving. She looked like me on my best hair day. They wouldn't dare misbehave. She had an air about her, like she was used to being in charge and obeyed. Ranger and Tank could both pull that attitude or aura out but she wore it like it was a part of her, not just a short term mask or tool to use.

Star was giving me the once over, studying me as I studied her. I wondered what she saw. The clothes Ranger had put me in were expensive, high end, just shy of being appropriate for distraction wear but they looked like normal clothes to me, not fetish wear. This seemed like a fetish wear kind of place. Ranger and Tank were dressed in expensive, well-tailored suits but they didn't match the type of clothing the goddess and her bodyguard were wearing either.

"May I touch?" she asked, directing the question to the men but I think she meant me.

"Steph?" Ranger asked. I tried to swallow but my mouth was too dry. I nodded but when she stepped towards me, I stepped back. Tank flattened his hand against my back, telling me silently that he was there, that he had my back. That I was safe. When Star took her next step forward, I held my ground.

She ran a hand through my hair and then kissed me lightly on the cheek. Leather scent surrounded me from her clothing. She let one hand rest on the back of my neck for a moment as she gazed into my eyes. Then she glanced at her man and snapped the fingers on the other hand.

He came to her side immediately, as if just waiting for her call. She pointed down and he knelt at her feet. She ran a hand through his hair in the absent minded way you'd pet a dog. "This is Marcus," she told me. "He owns this club."

"And you own him?" I found my voice to ask.

"Of course." She sounded supremely confident. The man gazed up at her in adoration.

"Welcome to Winter's Sanctuary," Marcus told me in a deep voice. "Where all your darkest dreams can come true."

It sounded like a slogan. Star reached into the top of her boot. The glossy white business card she handed me said the same thing in red and black upraised print. She offered me a little bit of information, "It's a private club, members and guests only, so we're immune from a lot of the rules of public places. I know these two will take care of you but know that the bouncers are here to protect everyone. No touching anyone without permission and they won't touch you. Some of the things you see might seem scary at first but this is a safe place and nothing happens here that isn't consensual."

Then she turned away from me, as if bored and the man stood to follow her attentively. They led us through the second door and into the club proper.

A dark skinned woman wearing moderately heeled boots, a garter belt, a corset, and the tiniest possible g-string seemed to be the hostess. Ranger slipped her a folded bill and asked for an eyrie with a view of the floor. What the hell was an eyrie? She picked up menus and led us up to the second floor balcony and then up a narrow spiral stair to an even higher balcony. It was round area with a single table in it and a cushy looking bench. Tank walked over to the rail and looked downward.

"Excellent view," he praised the hostess. "Thank you."

"Go see, Babe," Ranger urged me. I went over to Tank and he put an arm around my back as I looked over the rail. The dance floor was flashy lights and smoke and gyrating bodies, some of them with very little clothes on, much like any club. There were a few tables in the shadow of the balcony on the ground floor with plenty of space around them. I couldn't see the balcony underneath us well but on the other side of the room from our table area was a well lit stage area, it's height halfway between dance floor height and the balcony floor. I didn't have names for most of the things set up there. It looked like a dungeon or a torture chamber but everything was obviously gleaming and clean, waiting for it's next users.

I didn't think I wanted to see anymore so I retreated to Ranger's side and curled against him on the bench. Tank sat beside me, sandwiching me between them much like the had at Shorty's but here, they didn't hesitate to touch each other too. They shared a look that I couldn't decipher. Ranger spread a menu open in front of me and my stomach growled to remind me that I had gone too long between meals. No matter what else was happening, I had to eat.

The options all looked amazing. This place, whatever else it was, had a high end kitchen. Two things were conspicuously absent, prices and alcohol. I asked Ranger about them and he replied that everyone kept a credit card on file with their membership information. Dinner would just be billed. There was some beer or wine available if people asked but nothing hard and if you ordered it, even one glass, you got flagged. You could dance or watch but you couldn't go on the stage.

"I don't want to go on the stage," I told them immediately.

"No one will make you, Babe," Ranger assured me.

"One glass of wine with dinner," Tank suggested. "Let Ric pick something sweet that you'll like. We're not letting you get drunk tonight though. If you can't enjoy this mostly sober, we shouldn't be here at all."

A waitress came and we ordered non-alcoholic drinks and appetizers. Ranger changed my sweetened ice tea to something called an Arnold Palmer that was the same thing he was getting. Turns out it was a mixed drink, kinda, just without alcohol. Unsweetened ice tea and sweet-tart lemonade. It was really good and it was hot in the club. I drank it quickly and another appeared when our appetizer arrived. We were all ready to order entrees at that point.

I didn't want to think too hard about some of the things I saw happening on the stage while we ate but I kept in mind what Star said. It was all consensual. They enjoyed that. And as much as my sheltered upbringing made me react to some of the stuff with a mental 'yikes!' this was a safe place. Even my spidey sense agreed. There was nothing to fear here. Ranger and Tank let down their guard a lot. A few people climbed the stairs and visited us in the nest-like private upper balcony while we ate. They seemed to know Ranger and Tank well. And they seemed disappointed when told that I was off limits and so were the guys. We were just here to watch and maybe dance a little. No touching. No tasting. Of any of us. We did eventually dance a little but not a lot. Mostly I just sat, wide eyed, and took in everything around me, noticing with horror that some things made my panties damp more than they frightened me. Every now and then, one of the guys would point something happening out, explain it with some detail, watch my reactions closely.

When we left, Star gave us each hugs, surrounding us again with the scent of leather. She invited us to come back soon, joking with Ranger not to be such a stranger and I felt a brief flare of jealousy before we were in the cool night air in the painted alley. Ranger pulled out his phone and called a ride. We had walked a few blocks before it found us. A big black Navigator with two of the New York Rangemen inside.

I didn't talk on the walk or the drive. I was mortified by the thought that the Rangemen might know where we had been, what we had seen. Probably it didn't phase them. Ranger whisked me into the elevator to seven and then up a quick flight of stairs to the roof, frowning at Tank when Tank looked like he wanted to talk. Despite the noise, I slept on the helicopter back to Trenton. I woke when Tank laid me on Ranger's couch.

"Are we going back to my place tonight or sleeping here?" Tank asked me.

"Your place," I responded immediately, standing to walk to the door of Ranger's apartment. There was no reason to linger here. I didn't know what time it was and I didn't care. If the New York Rangemen were gossiping about where we had been, I didn't want to know. Tank's place would at least give me some remove from the Rangemen here in Trenton. I wouldn't have to see them or go into the office tomorrow if I didn't have the courage.

The touching we shared in the truck on our way to Tank's revved my hormones back up. They had been simmering since the club. We talked a little too, about what I had seen and how I felt about it. Some of the things I had seen had definitely appealed to me. Maybe I was as sick as Ranger claimed to be. Tank didn't think that any of us were sick. We were just wired to enjoy that type of thing. No reason to be upset about it, right?

The talking stopped and the touches got hotter as we entered Tank's condo and made our way to the bedroom. Tank opened the closet and pulled out the toy trunk I had seen when he had been using the contents on Ranger. I gulped.

"No one will do anything you don't want, Babe," Ranger told me.

"You believe that, right?" Tank asked, looking a little uncertain and insecure for the first time today. He continued to dig in the toy chest though and eventually pulled out long leather bonds with padded comfortable looking cuffs, one pair larger than the other. He attached them to something between the mattress and the box spring at each corner of the bed.

"I trust you both," I assured him.

"Well, mostly you just need to trust me," Tank replied. "Ric here will be harmless and helpless." Ranger snorted as I looked at the bonds curiously.

"You're always careful with me," I told Tank. Maybe too careful, I thought to myself but I knew I should be grateful for how careful he was. Those two were really experienced sexually and Ranger had mentioned more than once that his preferences were things a good girl might consider sick. I might be sick with them because so far, everything they had introduced me to, I had loved. Still, better to be cautious. They wouldn't go farther with me than I'd enjoy. I knew that. They cared too much to hurt me or scare me.

Tank curled his right arm against my waist, teasing the bit of skin showing between my skirt and top. He put his arm around Ranger briefly, holding him but then I heard the smack of Tank's hand hitting Ranger's ass. Ranger jumped slightly and the wolf grin appeared briefly. "Strip," Tank ordered and Ranger obeyed, efficiently, and then climbed onto the bed. He lay on his back, stretching his limbs towards the leather bonds.

Tank showed me how to fasten the cuffs at Ranger's wrists and ankles, tight enough that he couldn't escape but not so tight that he would be hurt. There were no locks, just leather buckles and safety releases. As we moved around the bed, Tank ran his hand over Ranger's skin in light caresses that sometimes ended in hard pinches or firm smacks. Ranger's body responded quickly, showing how well he knew his partner's body.

Much later, I collapsed bonelessly and only peripherally noticed Tank releasing Ranger's bonds. Ranger murmured something to him about paybacks before they sandwiched me between them to cuddle. "Doomsday," I told them in a soft voice and then dropped it even lower, to barely a whisper, "I love you both." Sleep was claiming me as they both replied that they loved me too but I wasn't sure whether that part was a dream.

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**Reviews keep me interested and writing. A large number of views/visitors and few reviews leads me to believe that you're all as bored with this as I am. This will get finished in a few chapters/weeks. Hang on with me until it's done? Please? **


	22. Chapter 22

There is no NL version for this chapter. It's all here.

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_Standard disclaimer: The characters and world are not mine. I'm playing in Janet Evanovich's world, with her characters and not making any money._

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Stephanie woke up sweaty and sticky and alone in Tank's big bed. She could hear the two men talking and exercising in the next room so she did the necessary morning toilet and tooth brushing routine, slipped into the robe Tank had gotten for her, and went to enjoy the sight of them exercising in Tank's home gym. They finished up once they saw that she was awake. Stephanie sat at the kitchen island and watched with a smile, soaking in the warmth and comfort between the two men as they worked with and around each other to make breakfast. They reminded her of a couple that had been married for a long time, the absolute comfort and knowledge of each other. She was glad they wanted her to be a part of that and willing to overlook the fact that they fed her turkey bacon and threw out half of the egg yolks.

They all showered together that morning. It was sensual experience but never took the step to be sexual and she was reminded that Ranger had told her before that they enjoyed being with her, that it wasn't just about sex. This was definitely enjoying. The men dressed quickly. While Stephanie tamed her hair, Ranger disappeared into Tank's office to handle email things. Tank stripped the bed efficiently and replaced the sheets. Then he put out fresh towels in the bathroom and put the dirty sheets and towels in the washer.

"No Ella here Bombshell," Tank explained when she looked curious. "Just a once a week housekeeper for vacuuming and stuff."

By the time Stephanie had finished her hair and helped Tank put away the clean dishes from the dishwasher, Ranger had finished with his email stuff and the three of them drove into work together in Tank's truck.

"Can you get one of the guys to drive me to the Bond's office," Stephanie asked as they pulled into the garage at Haywood. "We can take Lula's car to get skips if I have any and then you could pick me up at my apartment before dinner."

"Take an Explorer and Binkie," Ranger told her.

"I'm not sure that taking an Explorer is a good idea," Stephanie protested.

"Tank's with me today, Babe," Ranger told her. "So Binkie will drive and with him driving, your car karma will spare the Explorer."

"I don't need a babysitter," Steph protested. "I don't even have any stalkers right now."

A muscle moved in Ranger's jaw as he clenched it. "He's not a babysitter. He's a partner. We all use partners in the field."

"Please, Steph?" Tank interjected, before Stephanie and Ranger could really start this fight again. Those two would just bang heads until they were both hurting if he didn't get in the middle. "It will let us concentrate on our own skip instead of worrying about you and yours."

"You don't need to worry about me," Stephanie protested anyway, robbed of her argument with Ranger but her temper latched on to a different target.

"You don't need to worry about us," Tank pointed out, "but I bet you do. Especially if you know the skip is nasty."

Stephanie pouted a bit but she couldn't really argue with that. She did worry about them getting shot or stabbed or dead. They both were highly trained but their skips were a lot more serious and dangerous than hers. She sighed and made a big production of it but eventually, she conceded. Binkie only nodded once when informed that he would be with her today.

Stephanie did not want to go to her parents' house for dinner. She couldn't imagine that either Ranger or Tank was looking forward to it either. She almost hoped that she would get injured chasing skips so she had an excuse not to go. Binkie was driving her and Lula though and she was only a little dirty and not injured when Binkie brought her to her apartment for her to shower and change.

Binkie cleared her apartment for her and then sat on the couch while she showered and got ready for dinner. He never turned on the TV or asked why they were at her apartment and not at Haywood. He didn't rush her to get ready faster. She almost wished he would do those things. It seemed that other than matters of her safety, Binkie would just follow her instructions without questions. That was scary. Strangely, it made her think about what she was doing more than having one of the guys who would have argued with her or questioned her. With them, she could just defend herself. With Binkie, there was no one to fight with except herself.

Stephanie was ready to go and feeding Rex when there was the scraping sound of her locks being picked. Binkie put himself between her and the door. His gun was pointed at Ranger's head when Ranger entered the apartment. He flicked the safety back on and they nodded at each other and did some esp before Binkie left.

"Ready to go, Babe?" Ranger asked. Steph nodded and followed him out of the apartment. Tank was driving his truck again. She wasn't sure showing up to mom's house sandwiched between them in the front of the truck would be a good start to dinner but she braced herself and decided to just get it done. This wasn't going to be easy no matter how they got there.

Curtains on the houses surrounding Stephanie's parents' house moved as Tank helped her out of the truck and the three of them walked up her parents' walkway together, with Stephanie in the middle. For the men, it was a natural enough way to walk. They could never be sure that a neighborhood like this was threat free. Those curtains could hide a shooter as easily as a nosy neighbor.

Helen Plum and Edna Mazur opened the door as the trio came up the walk. Edna spoke first, "Mrs. Witts at the beauty salon had a picture of you with those two hotties on her phone. Looked like you've gotten to play with both of those excellent packages."

"Mother!" Helen protested with a frown. "Clearly they were just protecting her from something. Is there another stalker Stephanie?"

"Mom!" Stephanie complained in the exact same tone her mother had used to chide Grandma Mazur. "I told you, I'm dating both of them."

"So I can confirm the rumors?" Grandma Mazur asked. "Back when your grandfather and I were young a lot of that went on. Now a days, no one wants to share."

Stephanie shrugged. "You can confirm the rumors."

"Maybe it's not that no one wants to share," Tank commented thoughtfully. "Maybe no one back then talked about it so the current generation never learned the skills."

Grandma Mazur narrowed her eyes at Tank, looking for something. "And did your grandparents teach you to share nicely, young man?"

Before Tank could answer, Helen butted in. "We need to get inside. Everyone's watching and wondering why you haven't come in yet." Stephanie glanced around at the neighbors houses as her mother ushered them all inside. It was true. They were all watching. She also noticed that her sister wasn't here with the girls. That would be a relief at least. Or maybe not. If the girls had been here, maybe Grandma Mazur wouldn't push as hard about their sex life.

Mr. Plum was at the table already and Helen hurried into the kitchen to get the roast out of the oven. It was slightly after six. They had spent too long on the porch. Stephanie let the men both sit between her and her father, as safe from Grandma Mazur as she could make them. Ranger was beside her, Tank closer to her father.

Helen served the food but didn't really eat anything. She was drinking from a glass of something that appeared to be straight whiskey. Ranger kept a mental count of the glasses. The woman definitely had a higher alcohol tolerance than Stephanie. Mr. Plum stayed focused on his food. Stephanie told them excitedly about skydiving yesterday, hoping to keep everyone distracted from her odd relationship choice. Mrs. Mazur wouldn't let it go though. She remembered that Tank hadn't answered her question from earlier.

"Did your grandparents teach you to share?" she asked him again.

"No, ma'am. No one ever talked about there being anything unusual that my grandparents and my grandma's close friend lived together all the days of their lives. Dorothy had her own bedroom but an observant person who spent the night might notice that she didn't actually sleep there."

Edna smiled. "Sounds like you had a good example at least." She sounded satisfied. Helen looked horrified.

"You can't really mean that you're going to keep dating them both," Helen protested. "You'll choose eventually."

"I don't think so," Stephanie said. "I don't want to have to choose. They won't make me."

Her eyes focused on Ranger, sitting closer to Stephanie, with razor intensity. "Surely you'll get jealous of seeing your employee and your girlfriend together. You sat between them."

"Nonsense, Helen," Edna said before Ranger could form a response. "Stephanie put him there."

"Because she preferred to sit beside him than beside the other one," Helen said triumphantly.

"No! I was trying to keep them both safe from Grandma."

"And we're grateful for that, Bombshell," Tank told her. He leaned back from his now empty plate and put and arm across Ranger's shoulders to squeeze Stephanie's shoulder in support. Ranger tensed for a moment but no one commented and Tank withdrew his arm. He relaxed too soon.

"Maybe he doesn't mind sharing his girlfriend because he'd rather have a boyfriend," Helen commented shrewdly. "Bet that's bad for his reputation. Stephanie do you really want to be a toy for them until they get tired of you and go off together to leave you alone?"

"I..." Stephanie trailed off. "It's not like that mom. No one is going to be left alone. We're all in this together."

"Frank say something," Helen demanded, frustrated.

"Any chance you'll have to live here?" Frank asked.

"Never," Ranger assured him. "I own a very successful business with offices in 5 cities."

"That's nice," Frank said calmly. "And you'll take care of my little girl?"

"We both will," Ranger replied.

"Welcome to our crazy family."

"Thank you, Sir," Ranger and Tank chorused.

"So is this one of those open relationships," Edna butted in, breaking the moment. "Cause I'd love to get a taste of one of those impressive packages." She wiggled her dentures at the two men.

"No," Stephanie insisted immediately. "They're both mine and I'm not sharing." Both men were relieved to hear that, especially in regards to Grandma Mazur.

Helen took away the dinner plates and returned with dessert. "They're cupcakes," Stephanie complained. "You promised me pineapple up side down cake."

"It's a recipe your grandmother found somewhere," Helen replied, taking several large gulps of her whiskey, and sounding a bit on the tipsy side.

"Look," Edna said sounding as excited as a kid to show off a new toy. She peeled the cupcake wrapper off of the dessert and showed Stephanie the bottom. Each one had it's own cherry and pineapple slices on the bottom.

"It's genius!" Stephanie exclaimed happily. "No more fighting for the pieces with the cherries."

"You and Valerie always did fight over those. You didn't really grow out of it either."

"See. She never learned to share. She's never going to be able to share her boyfriend with another man. It's just a phase of hers."

"It's not!" Stephanie sounded just like a defiant teen and Frank decided to try for a little peace in his home.

"If it's a phase, she'll grow out of it eventually but while she feels that way, there's no changing it. You know how children are," he sounded conciliatory. Stephanie bristled a bit but her mother shut up about her relationship until Stephanie and the men could make their escape. Tank didn't ask where they wanted to go, just drove them all back to Haywood.

"Not going to your place tonight?" Stephanie asked.

"Early shift tomorrow for me and Ranger both. This is easier. Just let me grab some stuff from four and then I'll join you up on seven," Tank explained to her.

When Tank got up to seven, carrying a small pile of clothing, Stephanie was on the phone with her sister in the bedroom. He and Ranger curled together on the couch and flipped channels until they settled on two programs that seemed to have opposite commercial schedules.

The phone conversation:

"Grandma called me to tell me all about dinner."

"Already?" She sounded disinterested. She had been there so it wasn't new gossip for her.

"So you're really dating both of them, not like separately, but together."

"Sometimes separately too but we're all, like, together."

"And you're not going to just pick one?"

"No, Val. I think this thing with them is the real deal."

"But...don't you want to get married and settle down?"

"I wanted to be first with someone and I can be that with both of them, I think. I want to know that I'm not alone. Marriage and kids was never my dream though. It was yours and moms."

"We just want you to be happy, like we are."

"Are you happy, Val? Or are you just supposed to be happy?"

"Of course I'm happy," Val insisted, but there was a note of doubt in her voice.

"Don't worry about me or us," Stephanie assured her sister. "I know what I'm getting into. These two will help me fly."

They said their goodbyes and Stephanie went out to the living room. Tank was curled up with his head on Ranger's lap. Ranger appeared to be focused on the TV but he was massaging Tank's scalp and shoulders lightly. Stephanie stood behind the couch for a moment and massaged Ranger's shoulders for a minute. Then she kissed the top of Ranger's head.

"I'm exhausted from dinner. I'm going to bed," she told them. The men exchanged glances and followed her back to the bedroom. They undressed and lay down with her sandwiched safely between them, as if they could shield her from the world. They knew that there would be more dinners like this one and more censure but they were confident that together they could get through it. This dinner hadn't been near as bad as either of them had expected.

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**A/N - I tried the cupcakes. They were delicious. Just call it dedication to my research.**

all recipes dot com /recipe/pineapple-upside-down-cupcakes/


	23. Chapter 23

This chapter is complete. There is no naughty list ending. It seemed mostly like it would just be gratuitous extra smut. Check out my profile if you're not on the naughty list and haven't been checking yahoo groups and still want the previous naughty list parts. I finally caved and posted them to a blog. The complete story is posted there, embedded with scribd. I expect that if there are hits and people are reading the extras there that they will leave a review, good/bad/indifferent. I want to know. My payment for writing fan fiction is reviews and interaction. If I didn't want those, I wouldn't post. Sure, I should write for myself, but if it was purely that, I wouldn't be posting for others to read.

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_Standard disclaimer: The characters and world are not mine. I'm playing in Janet Evanovich's world, with her characters and not making any money._

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(Stephanie POV)

**-Friday of the same week they went to her mother's for dinner on Monday.-**

I left Binkie in the control room telling the story of the destruction of his Rangeman Explorer and found Ranger in his office. He put his arms around me very gently and just held on for a long moment. He didn't hurt my sore ribs at all so Bobby must have given him a report of my injuries.

"Scared me when Binkie's Explorer went offline, Babe."

"It wasn't my fault!" I protested.

"Still scared me until he called. Do you think you could call me and Tank next time to reassure us that you're okay?"

"Do we have to think about next time? Maybe there won't be a next time."

"You weren't hurt. That's the important thing." His arms relaxed finally and let me go. "Better go see Tank."

"Is he in his office?"

"No. He's packing up his efficiency on four."

"Why?" I asked, feeling like I was missing something.

"Babe."

"Ranger."

"Those efficiencies are in pretty high demand. He will just stay on seven if he needs to sleep here. Why would he still need to keep the efficiency?"

"I guess he doesn't need it but doesn't he worry about giving up his independence from you?" Ranger shook his head. His blank face slammed down. "Well, I guess he still does have the condo, right?"

"We all use his condo," Ranger pointed out. "Or our apartment on seven here. He doesn't need the efficiency so he's letting someone else use it." I could almost hear the unsaid, you should do the same with your apartment. But he didn't actually say it. I knew they both wanted me to say goodbye to my apartment but neither of them would push me about it.

I went upstairs and tapped on the door of Tank's efficiency. He yanked it open, his scowl turning to a smile when he saw it was me at the door. He took one long step into the hallway and grabbed me in a hug that made my slightly tender ribs complain. "Did you stop in to see Ranger?" he asked me.

"Yup."

"Injuries?"

"The blast threw us to the ground. Binkie has some cuts and stuff but he shielded me. My ribs just hurt and I skinned my knee."

Tank released me immediately and looked down. I was showered and wearing fresh clothes. I had learned to do that when I was staying with Joe. If I was clean when he saw me, sometimes I could distract him and avoid the yelling. "You stopped at your apartment to shower and change before letting us see that you're okay?" Tanks tone was accusing.

"Binkie called it in," I defended myself.

"It's not the same as getting to hold you."

I looked past him into the efficiency. There were a few closed boxes and several open and empty ones. He tugged me inside and closed the door to shut out prying eyes and cameras. "Need help packing?"

"You don't get to dodge this," Tank told me. "I love you. It's really important to know that you're okay."

"I am okay," I assured him. I was really uncomfortable with this line of discussion. I never could truthfully tell Joe that I loved him. With Ranger and Tank, I knew I really did love them in a for always kind of way. I'd told them when I thought they were asleep or when I was mostly asleep but having a discussion, hearing them say it while we were all the whole way awake was still scary for me. They showed it but more and more often this week, they'd been making sure to tell me too.

"And what will you do next time your car explodes?" he prompted.

"Call it in myself so you and Ranger can hear my voice?" I offered.

"And?"

"Come back here so you can fuss over me instead of having the first Rangeman on scene take us to my apartment and deliver a new vehicle?" I hoped that was the right answer. It wouldn't be hard to do if it would make them happy. It might even be nice to be fussed over instead of yelled at.

"Come back here so we can give you a hug. If you want Bobby to take care of your cuts and to go shower in peace and have some privacy to regroup, you can do that after."

"Okay," I agreed, relieved that he understood. I wondered if all of our discussions and disagreements would go so smoothly.

"At least you had Binkie with you," Tank told me. "I really appreciate when you take a partner."

"And now I'm here safe at Rangeman," I replied, grinning at him. "I was going to do some of your paperwork but I can help pack if you want me to."

"I'm almost done," he replied. "There's a list on my desk for you if you want to paper shuffle."

"Thanks." I gave him a hug and headed back down to five.

* * *

**-Three weeks later-**

(Still Stephanie POV)

I looked around my apartment. I had insisted on sleeping here alone tonight so Tank and Ranger could have time alone together. I had been getting plenty of alone time with each of them but worried that they missed being together without me for things other than work. Keeping things balanced was harder than I expected. Being here alone was harder than I expected too. It didn't feel like home anymore. It was just an apartment. Haywood and even Tank's condo both felt more like home. Really, as long as Ranger and Tank were somewhere, I thought it would feel like home. I didn't think it mattered where that somewhere was. I still didn't want to give up my apartment but I wasn't really sure why I was hanging on to it either.

I wandered into the kitchen but it was empty without Rex. Ella had stopped in to clean before I spent the night here so there were some non-perishable edible things in the cupboards and freezer but no lingering experiments or food that would go bad.

My room didn't have much clothing left in it, mostly stuff that was old or I hated or that didn't fit. I had to pack a bag to come stay here. I showered and dressed for bed and lay, wide eyed. I couldn't sleep. Why hadn't I noticed before how noisy the neighbors were in this apartment? The thin walls couldn't keep out even old person noises, unlike the thick soundproofed walls at Tank's condo.

I brought my covers and pillow out to my uncomfortable couch and popped in the Ghostbusters DVD. It always helped me sleep before. Tonight, it didn't help much. I dozed for a bit but the sound of footsteps in the hallway woke me with a shock of fear. Who was out there? Something scraped against my door but there was no tell tale sound of the locks being picked. The footsteps faded. Then another door on this floor opened and closed. I internally beat myself up for being so silly but the fear remained. I hadn't been scared in my apartment before unless a stalker had been leaving me presents here.

I wanted to call Ranger and Tank but at the same time, I didn't want to disturb their night together. It was after midnight. They were probably just sleeping now. I stared at my cell phone, trying to find the strength to put it down. Finally, I dialed a number.

"Hello?" a soft and sleepy voice answered.

"Binkie?" I asked, suddenly unsure this was a good idea.

"Steph! What's wrong?" He sounded instantly alert and I heard the soft thud of bare feet hitting the floor.

"I miss Ranger and Tank," I admitted. We had talked earlier about me sleeping at my apartment tonight. He had offered to sleep on my couch for protection and I had blown him off. Now I was wishing he were here but mostly, I wanted my boys.

"So why are you calling me instead of them."

"I don't want to bother them," I replied.

"So..." He trailed off, not sure what to say to me. They wouldn't think it was a bother. As soon as I said the words I knew they were a reflection of my own insecurities still, not how they would actually feel.

"And I don't feel safe in my apartment," I added.

That he knew what to do with. "Do you want me to come over there?"

"Can you tell me if Ranger and Tank are at Haywood or somewhere else?"

"Sure," he replied. I heard the sound of fingers on a keyboard.

Knowing that the Rangemen, even Ranger and Tank carried trackers all the time if they weren't in the wind and panic buttons while they were working helped me to feel better about carrying those things myself. I felt a lot less worried about my privacy. They had taught me how to use the tracking system so I could pull up their trackers from my desk at work as easily as someone could pull up my trackers. There was a mutual understanding and agreement that we trusted each other to do the right thing. I wished I had my Rangeman laptop with me so I could have looked them up myself but our system wasn't secure if the laptops were accessible. They could be taken to their apartments in Haywood or kept in a secure off site location, like Tank's condo. My apartment didn't even remotely qualify as secure.

"They're at Tank's place," Binkie told me. I thanked him and let him know that I was coming in to Haywood.

I looked down at my sleep clothes, one of Ranger's T-shirts and a pair of shorts. Good enough. I slipped my feet into a pair of flip flops, grabbed my purse, and locked the apartment door behind me as I fled. My new used car, a very old jeep wrangler was in the lot. This wasn't one of the newer lighter jeeps. This beast was made of metal and had a heavy roll bar that I had already been grateful for. When it had been flipped back onto it's wheels, it still ran just fine.

At Haywood, I finger waved at the camera and used the key fob in the elevator to head to seven. The elevator stopped on five anyway. Lester was one of the pair on monitors and I suspected it was him, not Junior who had stopped the elevator. I went over to him and stood beside him so he could see me in his peripheral vision. His eyes stayed fixed on the monitors but he asked me, "Trouble in paradise?"

I glanced at Junior, who was pretending to be deaf and only have eyes for his monitors. "I couldn't sleep at my apartment. I was scared."

"Ranger and Tank aren't here," he told me.

"I know. But I'll feel safe upstairs here and this is closer. I'll see them in the morning."

"Let us know if you need anything," Lester told me. "And I can listen if you want to talk. You can't shock me with whatever you want to share."

"I'll keep that in mind," I assured him before going to the elevator.

The seventh floor apartment felt empty too. It was more home than my apartment but not really home without Ranger and Tank there. I curled up in the bed that smelled like the three of us together and was finally able to fall into a deep sleep.

The next morning, I woke up to the sound of the shower. The gray morning light filtered through the windows. It was still early. They must have come here to work out in the larger gym and then found me here when they came upstairs to shower. They had let me sleep so I wondered if they still wanted to be alone but the bathroom door was open, steam billowing out. I got out of bed, stripped my clothes off, and went in to join them.

* * *

A/N - This is **THE END**.

I started a flash fiction course this Tuesday, May 14th, for original fiction that will last for 3 weeks and is hard work even though it's not as writing intensive as I feared. Don't expect anything from me during that time. After it's over, if there seems to be interest and interaction, I'll be back starting a series of short stories, each featuring a single event in the future of Ranger, Tank, and Stephanie all together.


End file.
